For the Love of Venus: The Birth of Treason
by alizep
Summary: After the events of the spring solstice, the central kingdom is in upheaval trying to find out what happened to Kunzite and Minako. Lies are unraveled as the schemer's schemes are exposed. No one is safe and no one's survival is guaranteed. A Sequel to For the Love of Venus.
1. Part 3: Captivity

Minako always knew that one day she would have to tell the truth. She would have to admit to what she had been part of a conspiracy to. Everyone would know what she had done.

Unfortunately she made the mistake of thinking that she would have the opportunity to come clean before anyone could confront her. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking everything was forgivable. It was less easy to convince others of that same logic.

Kunzite had looked her in the eye and vowed that he would always standby her.

So she started to tell him the truth.

Before she could finish explaining, he stopped her. She kept trying to speak over him, but he grabbed her and pressed his hand to her mouth effectively silencing her. Some of his words were lost in the sounds around them, but it had been clear that he didn't care for anything that she had done. He said that they would always do things his way. Then he simply said that he would be sending her away and the problem would resolve itself.

It was probably that moment where she realized that the threat from the north was not something that her father conjured, but rather something Kunzite had instead. How perfect that he would allow everyone to think she was involved to keep the guilt from falling on him.

Then the fight broke out.

They were nearly to the gate when they were separated. A guard had grabbed her to pull her away to safety and Kunzite had pushed his way into the melee to break up the drunks in the middle. When his back was turned, she took off along the wall, slipping in with a group of revelers who were leaving the palace. They walked along the wall heading west, laughing and singing a bawdy song, not noticing that their party now included one more.

As Minako glanced over her shoulder, someone bumped into her. She looked at the red-haired man who laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, resuming his singing. She only needed to make it away from the gate and disappear into the large caravan ahead of her. Although that really only got her out of her current bind - she had no idea what she would do after that.

Going back inside the palace would be futile. She had seen first hand that Endymion wouldn't punish Kunzite for anything. Even if she made it to Serenity, what could her cousin really do?

If she could make it to her uncle then she would be safe. He would be able to hide her.

She felt a pinch on her neck and she swatted at the affected area, waving away whatever had bitten her. The man continued singing along with the group, jostling her as they walked their slow pace. Then she stumbled.

He laughed and righted her, never missing a step.

"Damn it, Minako." She turned her head to see Adonis quickly approaching them. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the other man. "I told you not to leave the palace," he growled.

"I was with Kunzite."

"I said no matter what."

The man turned to face Adonis. "It's time for the bonfire, Dânburite."

Adonis slowly pulled his eyes away from Minako to look at the man at her side. "What are you doing here, Rubeus?"

"I'm here for the celebrations, same as you."

The crowd continued to move around them, parting and then rejoining. Bells tolled signaling the start of the procession. Cheers rang out from within the courtyard.

Adonis looked back to Minako and ripped the mask from her face, noticing that her eyes seemed unfocused. He threw the mask to the ground and shoved Rubeus. "You weren't supposed to give her anything. He'll be angry when he finds out."

Rubeus pulled a cape from the bag that hung across his body and wrapped it around Minako's shoulders, covering her bright white dress and long blonde tresses. "She'll be fine. It only lasts a few minutes. He's been testing it on her for a while." He looked back to Minako who seemed unaffected by the conversation. Taking her hand, he led her forward, out of the crowds and into a small walkway of the woods. The sun was low on the horizon and the trees blocked out most of the remaining light.

Small twigs cracked under their feet as they navigated the narrow walkway, Adonis being forced to walk behind them. After walking a short distance they emerged into a clearing. Trees and brambles mostly closed off access to the area.

Rubeus looked around, his hand tightening on Minako. "He's late," he growled. "Stay here with her." He dropped Minako's hand and disappeared into the trees, his dark cape masking his exit.

"What's happening?" she asked as she fell to her knees.

"I didn't want any part in this," Adonis said, his voice low as he knelt in front of her. "I tried to steer you away but you wouldn't listen. Why didn't you stay in the palace?"

"Kunzite wanted me to go with him." She shook her head, trying to clear the fog that made her mind sluggish. "Where are we?"

"At a crossroad."

"Help me. Take me to my uncle."

Unhinged laughter rang out in his head. Wouldn't it be wonderful if life were so simple? What if every moment could have been so easy? What if he hadn't kissed her that summer day when they were children and been forced to leave his post for one further away? What if he had never met Kunzite and climbed the ranks? What if he hadn't let his anger bring him to this moment. "There's no where to go, Minako."

"My uncle will help us. You know he will."

"He can't help either of us. You don't understand what's coming."

"I don't want to go to the northern kingdom."

"That is the least of your worries."

"What does that mean?"

"Yes, what does that mean, Adonis?" Zoicite asked as he slipped from the tree line and into sight.

"Go back to Kunzite, Zoicite," Adonis spat.

"Don't worry," Zoicite said as he closed the distance between them, hovering over the couple. "He's coming. I just got here first."

"I didn't want to be a part of this, Zoicite," Adonis said as he rose to his feet.

"You clearly did not put up much of a fight. Although you were never really one that could be trusted, were you?"

Adonis's mind flashed back to those months ago where Zoicite had stared down at him. Stared down at Esmeraude's limp form. How good it had felt to punch that arrogant man. "It was only a small matter of fate that put you ahead of me."

"You should never have advanced even this far," Zoicite said. "Every chance you had to remain loyal to Kunzite you wasted. Do you want to court another lover of his? Perhaps you think that if you act like him and love the same women as him that you will be him?" Zoicite took a step closer, his eyes narrowing.

A growl escaped Adonis's lips. For reasons he couldn't even begin to fathom, Zoicite's words struck home in a way that only Zoicite could make them and he snapped, lunging at the other man. They landed on the ground in a heap, either man trying to land a hit on the other.

Minako shook her head, fighting against the dizziness that clouded her thoughts. She couldn't remember walking here and her limbs still felt leadened.

Kunzite had been with her.

She ran away from him.

Then what?

There was a man with red hair who said that someone was late. Did he say a name? Was he there for Kunzite? Zoicite said that Kunzite was coming.

It was there that she really saw the injustice of everything. Zoicite had spun all those lies to Endymion for the sole purpose of covering for Kunzite. She never stood a chance against the two men.

She tried to push herself up and only succeeded in falling to her hands and knees. Small bits of debris dug into her palms. Mild pain shot up her arms, but not enough for her to know if she had injured herself or not. She had to force her body to obey. No matter how badly her muscles fought against her, she couldn't succumb. This was her chance to slip away from both men. If she could find a place to hide until morning, she would be safe.

With a final push, she shoved herself backwards away from the struggling men. Debris cut into her palms and scratched her legs as they dragged on the ground. The fogginess of her mind kept the pain to a dull sensation and she pushed on until she found herself pressed against a tree. Tears spring to her eyes at the sense of futility towards the her situation.

An arm wrapped around her and she realized that it was a person rather than a tree that had stopped her. "Rubeus was clearly too gentle with you," a man's voice said next to her ear.

She was too late. He was here. She looked around to see Zoicite had pinned Adonis to the ground, his elbow to Adonis's neck. Both men had stopped moving with the new arrival.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, another pinch against her neck. "You'll remember everything this time, I promise, but I need you to sleep for a little while. Things are going to get very complicated and it's best if you don't take part in this."

"Please," she begged, "let me go."

"I can't help the inevitable."

She forced her head to look up, expecting to see Kunzite's face next to her own. "Who are you?" Her eyes became further unfocused, dizziness washing over her. Voices echoed in her head making her feel like she was underwater.

"She has nothing to do with this."

"She has everything to do with this."

"We had an agreement."

"It's time for a new one."

"Give her to me first."

She tried to fight against the drug running through her body, her hands trying to get further purchase on the ground below her so that she could lift herself up.

Minako's eyes turned upward, following the lines of the dark uniform standing before her until she could see Kunzite's face. She tried to open her mouth, to say anything, but the only thing she was able to get out was, "the baby." Her body fell limp in the arms of the man holding her.

"Just give me your sword, Kunzite, and we'll be on our way."


	2. March 27, 621

Minako pressed her hands against the glass of the only window in her room. The last few days had been a monotonous blur. It took her three days to realize that the food she was being given was drugged. After that she started to refuse the meals. No one cared if she ate the food or left it. They only cared that she was quiet. So she took the metal bowl she had been given and used it to break the window.

Guards had rushed into her room and sedated her. When she next woke, she was in a new room that looked exactly like the previous one. Only now the room was far more sparse and her meals were supervised.

Missing so many meals had started to take a toll on her body. She felt lethargic and off balance. If it wasn't for her constant thirst she could have avoided the sedation, but after a day she couldn't help but to drink the water which would then send her off into hours of forgetfulness.

Adonis had been sent in to check on her a couple of times. He implored her to eat, but said little else. His eyes indicated that he wanted to say more, but she suspected that someone was listening through the walls. Not that it mattered to her what he wanted to say anyway.

No one brought her a change of clothes. She was still in the once white dress that she had worn to the solstice. Dirt stained the bottom half of her dress while small tears dotted the hem. It was almost as if she had been placed into this room to be forgotten about.

A little over a week had gone by she guessed. She couldn't be sure if she had slept through any day in its entirety. The thought of so much time and awareness lost was frightening.

At midday Adonis came to see her again. She kept her back turned to gaze out the window, seeing nothing beyond the thick line of trees.

"I need you to come with me, Minako."

"Leave me be, Dâni."

"You can walk with me or wait for Diamond to come get you. I think you'll be far better off with me."

"Diamond is the man with the pale hair?"

"Yes."

"I don't care."

Adonis quickly crossed over to her, grabbing her elbow. "I didn't want this for you."

She glanced at him, noticing he wore a gray uniform with silver piping running down the side. A wide maroon sash wrapped around his waist. "Then why did you do it?"

"You weren't here when this all started. I tried to warn you away from him. I kept Diamond from taking you sooner."

"Yet when he did finally come for me you didn't do anything at all to protect me."

"Diamond would have killed me if I stood up to him."

"Then perhaps it would have been best if you had died."

His hand tightened on her. "I am the only friend you will find here," he whispered. "Diamond will only keep you here for a couple of months and then he will send you north to King Alexander before the Summer Solstice. He's agreed to let me go with you. You'll need a friend in his court."

She ripped her arm away from him, still refusing to look at him. "I don't need you. Serenity will have Endymion searching everywhere for me."

"Endymion won't be on the throne much longer."

"Boys and their games of crowns and fools. Will you replace Kunzite as the head general then? What of the others? Are they all to be put to death?"

"One already has," a male voice said from the doorway. Minako could see Diamond reflected in the glass of the window pane. "I think we all know how overrated that title is anyway. They are men not gods. They bleed and breath like any other."

Minako slowly turned to face Diamond. He wore a dark blue uniform with silver embellishments, a long cape hanging from his shoulders. His features were so similar to Kunzite's that it gave her pause. Where Kunzite's hair had a silver coloring, Diamond's was lighter, almost white. His eyes though, were very different. "What does that mean?"

He smiled. "Am I to understand that you are refusing my invitation to speak with me?"

"Whatever you want from me, just tell me. Serenity will see to it that you are given everything you want."

"Such a sweet girl," Diamond cooed. "I hope that you are as amiable as she is."

"Where is Kunzite?"

"He's waiting for you. That's why I called for you. I thought it best that you finally have a chance to speak with him."

Her heart raced. Did she still want to see him? "What happens at the summer solstice?"

Diamond smiled. "Dânburite has been telling you stories I see. Are you enjoying his company or would you prefer to see him sent away?"

"Send him far away from me," she answered, ignoring the pained look that Adonis gave her.

"Then he will bother you no more. I'll have him sent away tomorrow. Leave us, Dânburite," he said to Adonis. When he was alone with Minako he continued, "The Summer Solstice will not concern you. You are here because Kunzite would not leave you behind."

"Is he going back to the North with me?"

"No, I'm afraid he won't be. He has some unfinished business from years ago that he must carry out here." Diamond crossed over to her and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "You are not going to like everything that you hear, but you will cooperate."

"Leave me be."

He placed his other hand on her shoulder, thumb pressing against the front of her neck. "I never ask once let alone twice. You will go where you are told to go, when you are told to go. There will be no argument. Obey and you will be treated as a guest. If you choose to be difficult, your situation can be as well."

"I have been locked in this room for days while you poison the food that I eat. How much worse can my options be?"

His hand moved quickly up her throat to clamp onto her jaw, squeezing tightly as he pushed her head backwards. "Does Kunzite enjoy your banter? Is that why you think that I will as well? Don't overstate your own value." Diamond paused and looked into her eyes. "You're afraid of me."

"You're hurting me," Minako whispered.

"You're not as strong as she is, are you?" He released his hold on her jaw, rubbing his thumb over the reddened skin. "We all must battle our own sins I suppose."

Diamond stepped back and pulled Minako from the room, her wrist still secured in his hand. They walked through hallways lined with guards wearing gray uniforms and helms. Some blocked hallways, others stood in pairs with hands over weapons. All heads bowed in acknowledgement as Diamond moved past.

Minako wanted to ask questions, but was afraid of the answers that she would receive. So she walked in silence and allowed the stranger at her side to pull her along.

They entered a large, cavernous room. Most likely this had once been a hall for some noble. It was made to look like a throne room with its small raised dais and catwalks lining the second floor. The room was smaller than a proper throne room would be, but held the same feel.

No throne rested on the dais, and no guards lined the room as she would have seen in Endymion's palace. Guards wearing gray uniforms with their faces obstructed stood at the entrance only, leaving the room mostly unoccupied.

Adonis stood on the right side of the room next to a man with short dark hair. The other man was a stranger to her. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform that matched Diamond's. The two men spoke in hushed whispers, stopping when Diamond looked over to them.

On the other side of the room stood a man and woman, both with dark red hair. The red haired woman wore a purple dress of great extravagance, making Minako feel undressed in her own stained garment. Her green eyes looked Minako over as though she were some cow at market.

Minako turned away, trying to ignore the stare of the other woman, her eyes now falling on the man at her side. She remembered him as the man in the woods. Rubeus he had been called.

She didn't know how long she had been unconsciousness. All she knew was that when her eyes opened, she was in the arms of the red haired man from earlier. Her neck ached terribly; in part from whatever she had been given and more-so from the way she was being held. "Kunzite," she whispered.

"It's about time you awoke," Rubeus said, putting her unceremoniously onto her feet. "Walk," he commanded when she remained unsteadily leaning on him.

"I don't know if I can."

He grabbed her arm and dragged her along, using his other hand to pull her hood over her head. "You'll figure it out."

She stumbled at first, but slowly found her footing as she tried to keep up with the pace he set.

Straight ahead of her, in the middle of the dais stood Kunzite, dressed in the same gray uniform as Adonis. A maroon sash also wrapped around his waist with the ends trailing down his right side. He looked at her, face pained as she came to a stop several feet away.

She looked over her shoulder to see Kunzite and the man he had called Diamond walking far behind her. Kunzite refused to look at her.

Diamond's hand released her wrist to land on her shoulder. He leaned in close to her, his eyes fixed on Kunzite. "Kunzite is going to explain everything now." He crossed over to stand next to Kunzite, nodding his head before turning back to face Minako. "Where should we start, brother?"

"What is this?" she whispered.

Rubeus pulled her to a stop beside him as they came upon what used to be a road. It was cleared of brush and stones, but was overgrown with what few weeds and grass were able to grow.

From a slight distance away, she could hear the sounds of horses approaching. She looked around but could see nothing but woods without end. Kunzite and Diamond had stopped walking farther back and were talking to each other in low voices.

When the horses and carriage came into sight, Rubeus reached out to open the door as it rolled to a stop. Minako realized that she was to be placed in it and began backing up. Rubeus grabbed her arm and tried to push her forward, but she found the strength to resist him, yanking free. His hand wrapped around her arm again and jerked her body towards his.

The hood of her cape dropped back to reveal golden locks and wide, panicked blue eyes. A struggle ensued as she struck him, lashing out with nails and feet in an effort to get free. Rubeus secured a strong grip around her wrist and then jerked her arm into the air. She was forced up onto her tips of her toes as she fought to balance out the height difference between them. He spun her and brought her back up against his chest, one arm squeezing her around her ribs as the other drew a dagger from his waist and held it to her neck.

"Don't fight, Minako," Kunzite called out to her.

Diamond looked over to Kunzite. "Did you fail to tell her about your brother?"

Kunzite looked at Diamond. "I never had the opportunity."

"I thought your brother was dead," Minako said.

"He had two," Diamond answered for Kunzite.

"How could you do this to me?" she screamed at Kunzite, her voice echoing in the room.

Kunzite's hands moved behind his back. "I told you I didn't want to see her. Send her back to her room and leave her there."

Diamond waved his hand dismissively "I thought it would help you to see that she is well cared for. Besides, she deserves to know what brought her here don't you think? I can tell her on my own, but coming from you might make things...easier. For everyone."

Kunzite's eyes seemed to glance over her head then back to her, taking in her disheveled appearance. "She doesn't look well cared for. Perhaps at the very least you could provide her with a change of clothing."

Diamond looked at Kunzite, the two men speaking with the look they shared. "The journey here was very taxing on her as you know. A woman in her state needs plenty of rest."

On reflex her hands rose over her stomach. Her eyes again went to Kunzite.

"Isn't it so much easier when all the liars are in the room? I told him years ago that his lies would catch up to him one day, but my brother here never likes to listen. I have told him that telling the truth is the better way to communicate. Isn't that right?"

"You do always tell the truth."

"Have you told her yet who you really are?"

"That doesn't matter either."

"Oh I think that it does matter. Who you are is the whole reason that we are here." Diamond looked to Minako, his face in mock sympathy. "Kunzite doesn't really exist. He is someone that my brother made up to get to where he is. Kunzite was the loyal man. The honest man. A hero to the people. Ironic that it is all a lie, don't you think?"

"What does this have to do with me?" Minako asked in a quiet voice. She could feel tears of anger and hopelessness stinging her eyes.

"His name is really Danik. He is northern born."

"She knows that," Kunzite said.

"Have you told her who your parents are?"

"No."

"His mother was a courtier. A truly beautiful woman." He turned his attention to Kunzite. "It's not your mother that matters though. Tell her who your father is."

Again the two men looked to each other, Diamond whispering and shaking his head. Kunzite's jaw locked and refused to look back at Minako.

"Alexander," Kunzite finally answered.

Diamond smiled. "Only a boy born a bastard could have such ambitions. If it hadn't been for the death of Prince Patrik, Danik would never have come to this kingdom and become Kunzite.

"We both know that Kunzite's only purpose was to kill the beloved boy prince. Something he could have accomplished many times over the years, but Kunzite doesn't swing a sword to fight his battles. No, he likes to take his time and make sure that his revenge is well served. Which brings us to you."

Minako's hands balled into fists, the first of her hot tears spilling onto her cheeks; the humiliation of the woman smirking at her. Kunzite - the man who said he was the one she could always trust - turning out to not be real; everything being a lie. She walked towards the dais, Adonis jumped down the steps of the dais, moving to stand in front of Minako. His arm wrapped around her when she tried to step around him.

"I'm sorry, Minako," he whispered.

"Let me go, Dâni!" she yelled, trying to shake free of his hold only to find that he was far stronger than she was. "You are no better than him!"

"Mina, please-"

"No!" She finally pushed free of Adonis, stepping backwards. He remained in front of her, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "Endymion doesn't care about me," Minako said, looking over Adonis's shoulder at the two men looking down on her. "Kunzite made sure of that."

"I don't care about Endymion," Diamond responded cooly. "I do care though about helping Kunzite to finish what he started so many years ago." He turned to face the man at his side. "Remember, brother, when you looked Endymion in the eye and said you would take his life?"

Kunzite's eyes stared over Minako's head. "Of course I do."

Minako shook her head, her hands covering her face. "None of this is true. This can't be happening. Kunzite?" she asked imploringly. "Tell me he's lying."

"I never lie, my pet."

"You," Minako exhaled, her face paling.

Diamond looked to his right. "Rubeus, take Minako back to her room. I think she will want to be alone for a while to think everything over. She'll join us for dinner."

Rubeus wrapped his fingers around Minako's bicep and pulled her backwards towards the door.

As Minako was pulled through the door and out into the hallway, she could hear Kunzite saying, "You didn't need to tell her that."


	3. June 614

Jalen had been firm in tone when he told Minako to not stray far from his side.

She was fifteen and of course didn't listen. It was her first time being to the palace and she could hardly contain her excitement. Her face wore a polite smile as was expected, but inside she bustling with excitement.

It hadn't been hard to slip away from her father. He was always quick to join in one group and then the next. His smile made people feel at ease and he only ever spoke enough that someone would remember him for his wit and not for dominating the conversation. It was a balance that she would never learn.

The crowd was constantly shifting with new king had arrived only a short while ago and of course her father had made quick work on making it to his side. Both men wore court smiles, though their eyes did not seem to share the same sentiment. From time to time the king would glance over in her direction and she wondered if she was somehow the subject of their conversation. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't to be a marriage prospect to the prince.

Everyone had gathered that evening to meet the girl whom the prince was rumored to propose to. His family had once been called the usurpers as they had only held the throne for a few generations. Fortunately for their family line, gold had helped to make the sins of their ancestors a little more forgivable.

When Endymion arrived with Serenity on his arm, the room shifted again, this time in their direction. Minako waited on the outskirts, knowing that she would spend plenty of time with Serenity that evening after everyone retired for the night. She couldn't help but to feel a little envious watching the couple and wishing that she could have what they did.

After all, who didn't want the fairy tale?

A blonde haired girl with green eyes and a heart shaped face came to stand next to Minako, sighing at the sight of the prince and his date. "What a beautiful couple," she breathed.

"Yes," Minako answered automatically.

"You look very much like her," the girl said. "Are you related?"

Minako couldn't help but to look the girl over noticing how similar they looked to each other. The girl could have been her sister. "We're cousins."

"And so your lot in life improves."

"I suppose," Minako responded, her thoughts mulling over the idea of living at the palace instead of her home. She imagined the life of a courtier with nights full of parties and wine and champagne.

"I'm Sarah," the girl said with a small curtsey. "I'm one of the queen's ladies."

"I'm Minako," she answered. "Is the queen going to be in attendance tonight?"

Sarah sighed again. "She's away at the summer palace. She decided to depart early this season. I suspect it has something to do with her handsome captain that she keeps close by. I certainly wouldn't mind being alone with him given the chance." She blushed and laughed. "You must think poorly of me, but if you had ever met him you would be helpless but to think the same thing."

"Perhaps you should ask after him then."

"It is a lost cause with him. He has no involvement with anyone on the staff. Either he has a lover elsewhere that he is loyal to or is completely celibate." Her lips pulled into a frown. "Or else it is not women he craves. What a shame that would be."

Minako smiled at the girl until she noticed the smile had faded from her lips. She followed the girl's line of sight, noticing that the king was making his way towards him. Sarah took Minako's hand, her face noticeably pale as she pulled them both down into a low curtsey.

"Your Grace," the girls said in unison.

The king watched Minako as she rose from her curtsey. "I know that face. You are Carollena's daughter." He moved closer to her, reaching for her chin and pulling her face towards his. "You're as beautiful as she was if not more."

"Thank you, your grace," Minako said with a blush.

"Sarah, find General Jasper for me." He looked back to Minako. "Your mother was a close friend of mine. I knew her well and was sorry to hear of her passing."

Minako looked over to Sarah who curtseyed and then scurried away. "I wish I had the chance to know my mother."

King Pharias waved to a servant carrying a tray of champagne glasses and took two, handing one to Minako. "Have you tried this yet? I have it imported from the North. A terrible kingdom that somehow makes a drink that is too divine for words."

"I have probably had more than I should admit to," Minako giggled as she took a sip from the cup. After a moment, Sarah reappeared with the General at her side. Minako found that she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He looked to be late twenties but his eyes made him seem far older. A light blonde stubble darkened his jaw, a scar barely visible running from his ear towards his neck. His uniform fit him immaculately, the neutral colors complementing his tan skin tone.

"You wanted to speak with me?" he asked the king.

"Where is General Azurite?"

"He departed early tonight."

The General's response seemed to darken the King's mood. "Dance with this beautiful girl for me while I find where he has gotten off to."

Jasper nodded his head and took Minako's hand, bowing his head. "As the king commands then?"

Her lips parted, unable to speak as the handsome man took her into his arms and spun her onto the floor. She could feel how his body was well muscled and toned under his blue and white uniform, his hands gentle against her smaller frame. He whispered amusing comments into her ear about other dancers around them eliciting laughs and blushes from her. When the song ended, he held her as the next song began.

She knew that she had drank too much, but that didn't stop her from letting him take her out onto the balcony where he kissed her.

"Your beauty," he whispered into her ear, his lips moving down to kiss her throat, "causes men to lose all reason. Wars are declared for one kiss."

Words escaped her as blood rushed through her body. Reason said that she should stop him. Every sensation in her body told her she should not. His words. His touch. The wine. The summer night. She wanted to be wanted. To not be dangled in front of men by her father. He would not be able to punish this man the same way he had punished Dâni for kissing her years ago.


	4. March 27 - Evening

Rubeus came to get Minako this time.

For the first week of her captivity, she never took off her shoes, always wanting to be ready. When she returned to her room this afternoon, she removed her shoes and laid on her mattress, letting the tears of futility run through her. Who was the man she had fallen in love with?

She tried to ignore Rubeus's leer as she put on her slippers. His eyes watched her every move, his facial expression lecherous. When she approached the door he wrapped his arm around her, leading her down the hallway. "Diamond said that you no longer want Danburite going with you when you leave to north. He thinks that I will go with you instead." He waited for her to respond and continued when she did not. "We'll be friends in time." He laughed. "Maybe even lovers."

His hand brushed through her hair and she cringed, biting her tongue. It was not the worst that had been said to her. It was not the worst that had been done to her.

When she continued to ignore him he pushed her against the wall, his arms boxing her in. "I can be kind. Diamond will let your pretty little cousin visit you. If you're good to me, I can be good to you too."

She turned her head to look away from him.

He grabbed her throat and forced her to look at him. "You're not nearly as broken as you think, girl." When she gasped to catch her breath, he squeezed harder. "Everyone makes the mistake of thinking that they have fallen as far as they can. You may think things are bad now, but really you are fortunate that Kunzite is so protective of you." He brushed her hair from her face. "He won't always be though."

With his last words he released her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her through the halls again.

Minako coughed as the air returned to her lungs. Her throat burned from his hold. She fought to push back the tears that stung her eyes. Rubeus was right that things could be worse, although at that moment she wasn't sure how.

They walked into the dining room where everyone was already seated. Diamond sat at the head of the table while Kunzite sat at the other end. The woman from earlier sat to Diamond's left and the dark haired man sat next to her. Adonis was no where to be found.

Rubeus led her to stand on Diamond's right, his body moving behind hers as his hands rested on her shoulders. "Minako didn't want to join us tonight," he said, "but fortunately I was able to persuade her otherwise."

Diamond looked at her, his fingers tapping on the table. "Sit," he commanded.

"Stay there," Kunzite said, clearly earning Diamond's disapproval. "What happened to her neck?" Minako flinched as Rubeus's hands tightened on her shoulders. Kunzite did not miss the motion. He stood up from the table. "If he touches her again, Diamond, I kill him."

"Noted," he answered, waving his hand. He turned his eyes to Rubeus. "Not another mark on the girl. Understood?"

Rubeus pushed Minako into her chair, leaning over to whisper in her ear before seating himself next to her.

"Sit, Kunzite," Diamond said. The two men stared at each other, neither backing down. "We can resume our conversation now or we can do so later in private. Either way you will sit down."

Minako watched as Kunzite sat back into his chair. He placed his fingers over the base of his wine glass, sliding the glass back and forth on the table. His voice was the same. His face the same. Except he was now a stranger.

He lied about everything. His name. His identity. His relationship with Endymion.

What would happen to Serenity if Endymion was gone? Would she be harmed as well? What was Kunzite planning to do with himself after all was said and done? It didn't sound like he had any intentions of going home. Would there be war? Was he sending her away for a selfishly noble want of keeping her safe?

"There was no funeral, but I'm sure," the man with dark hair said.

Minako's ears pricked at hearing those words. She had missed the conversation starting up around her until she had heard that sentence. Her eyes cast around the table, noticing that the woman with red hair stared at her, a strange smile on her lips.

"I need to be sure, Saphir," Diamond hissed.

"Jadeite is hiding it, but a body was interred in the catacombs. Ami was sent away days before and hasn't been seen since. The man that they claim is Zoicite is just some soldier. The real Zoicite is dead."

"You didn't have to kill him," Kunzite said to Diamond.

Diamond smiled in response. "It was necessary as part of the bigger picture."

"There is a warrant for Kunzite as well," Saphir continued. "The order has been dispensed to the captains." He paused as Diamond chuckled, "It seems that Endymion has turned against you already."

Kunzite pressed his forefinger to the top of his full wine glass, knocking it over and watching as the red fluid spilled across the table in front of him. "Good."

"There's more," Saphir continued. "Jadeite knows about Taka and Tora. He has had them taken away. No one seems to know where."

"How did he find them?" Diamond asked.

"Calvaras."

"How do you know?"

"She was at the palace and was supposed to slip out that night. Someone tipped off Jadeite and he caught her. Tora was able to send that last report before his own disappearance."

Rubeus took a drink from his cup, "Then she's dead by now and we don't need to worry about her any longer. At last some good news."

"Don't you care at all?" Saphir demanded, banging his fist on the table.

"You didn't care when it was Esmeraude. Why would you care now? Isn't Diamond's success more important than one stupid girl?"

"Esmeraude was warned to stop involving herself. We were left with no choice. Calvaras was only there because of you!"

"You're too soft, Saphir," the woman next to him said.

"I shouldn't be surprised by your callousness, Beryl," Saphir spat, shaking his head. "You're heartless towards your own friend."

"I loved her very much," she responded. "I alone mourned for her death. Not even Kunzite could be bothered to bat an eye for her demise." She glared at him. "I'll bet for this one you would though."

Minako shrunk back as the woman pointed at her, Diamond's hand still on her leg keeping her in place. They spoke of murder as though it was the weather. Her eyes looked to Kunzite for only a moment, wondering if this was why he had been so calloused towards her death.

"I had heard talk of her."

"You know what makes her specter so interesting?" Kunzite asked. "Because there was nothing interesting about her. She was no one. A woman in passing who I would sooner forget than spend another minute thinking about."

"Did you mourn for her?"

"I've already made myself clear about anyone touching her, Madelyn."

"Madelyn?" Minako said, not realizing at first she had spoken aloud. When all eyes turned to her she leaned back into her seat.

The woman smiled. "Have you told her about us, Kunzite?" Without waiting for a response, she continued. "I knew Kunzite when he and Esmeraude were lovers." She leaned forward to balance her chin on the knuckles of her raised hand. "For a while he and I were even lovers. His generosity in bed makes up in part for his lack of bedside manner."

Diamond cleared his throat. "Enough, Beryl."

She continued as though Diamond had never spoken. "I've waited a long time to meet you, my dear girl. Perhaps we'll become fast friends."

"Madelyn!" Kunzite barked her name.

"It's Beryl," she hissed in return. She turned her attention back on Minako. "How do you know my name if your lover never bothered to share it?"

"Jadeite," Minako answered, her throat burning. "He thought you were the girl from Salas."

"Enough," Diamond repeated himself. "I don't care about Salas. I don't care to hear about Kunzite's cock. I only want to hear news of the capital. The next person to speak of anything outside of that topic is going to be punished." He paused to look around at the faces staring at him, stopping to look at Minako. "You should eat something. I need you in good health."

"I'm not hungry."

Diamond sighed and picked up a piece of uneaten bread from his plate and put it on hers. "Eat it willingly or forcefully, it doesn't matter to me, my pet."

"Where is Serenity?" the deep voice said in her ear.

Minako turned her attention back to the man in front of her. "With her ladies. Jadeite was with them."

"And why weren't you with them? Weren't you warned against walking around on your own tonight?"

She felt a tinge of anger at the perceived chastising. "I have not gone far."

He reached out with his right hand and brought her left to his lips. "No, my pet," he said in his low gruff tone, "you have not yet. Come with me. I don't have much time." He pulled her after him and they disappeared around a corner.

Her stomach lurched violently at the name and she pushed away from the table to stand, only to be yanked by her wrist back into her seat by Diamond. "I'm going to be ill."

"Eat and you won't be ill."

"Let me go!" she yelled, trying to rip her wrist free of his tight hold.

Diamond rose to his feet and yanked her towards him, bending her wrist at a painful angle. "I'm trying to be a good host to you."

"You had no right to touch me," she whispered. "You pretended to be him. You let me think you were him."

He smiled and brought his face close to hers, keeping his voice low. "No, my pet. I was there to take you away while no one was looking. It was only because you looked so much like your cousin that I found myself distracted."

"Diamond," Kunzite's voice said ominously.

"She will not have a mark on her, Kunzite," Diamond responded, "but she will learn not to abuse my hospitality."

"You're disgusting," Minako spat.

"Let go of her." Kunzite rose from his seat, palms flat on the table.

Diamond shoved Minako down into her seat. "Should we go talk then, brother? Have you decided that you've had enough as well?"

Kunzite's fist banged on the table and he strode from the room, several of the guards lining the walls following after him.

Diamond waved at Saphir to follow after Kunzite. Then he dismissed Rubeus and Beryl sending both away before the meal had even been served. When he was alone with Minako he slid his water glass over to her. "Finish eating and then you'll go back to your room."

She picked up the bread and took a small bite, her stomach roiling as she chewed. The dry crust felt like chalk in her mouth and she took the glass, drinking a mouthful of the water to force the food down.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I was once Endymion's third general. There has been some shifting in responsibility since I've been gone."

She picked at the bread on her plate. "They said that his third general had been killed."

"Kunzite lies, my pet. He tells nothing but a string of beautiful truths and then when no one is looking, he slips in an ugly little lie. Everyone believes him to be so perfect, but he is even more fallible than either you or I."

"Why do you hate Endymion?"

"Who do you think ordered my death?"

She watched as he leaned back in his chair, his posture and mannerisms so much like Kunzite's. If she allowed herself to forget who her present company was, it would have felt like any other meal with Kunzite. "Why?"

He watched her as she continued to pick at the bread, rendering the crust to a dusting of crumbs. "Why do you idolize these men? You look at them and you see them for how they want to be seen, not for what they really are. I told you who Kunzite was. You can choose to not believe me or even Kunzite's own admission, but it doesn't change that his birthright is of bastard royalty.

"Philosophers ask if one life is worth taking to save many. Some would say yes and others would say no. I believe that if Kunzite had done what he set out to do six years ago that none of us would be here.

"Endymion tells you he means well, but we all assume that we are doing what is right when it is our own agenda. I don't believe that I am right for what I am doing. I only believe that there is a right to wrong."

"Endymion is fair."

"He was a rash boy once upon a time. When he was fourteen he committed treason by making a deal with the enemy attacking this kingdom. Everyone praises him for what he did, but what if he was wrong and they had used him to overthrow the whole monarchy? He didn't know what he was doing or the effects of the promises he had to make to get there. He killed his own father to take his throne."

"Endymion didn't kill his father."

"Lies when told enough will eventually become the truth. That is the beauty of history."

"Why did Endymion want you dead?"

Diamond smiled. "I razed a village in his name."

Minako dropped the shell of crust she had been picking at. "Calingstone?"

"Yes, Kunzite's pet project."

"You think you deserved to live after that? Kunzite took me there. I met the people. Saw how much rebuilding they had done and how much damage still remained. I wish Kunzite had killed you as well."

"Everyone was culpable that day. I only did what Endymion wanted done. I served the crown, Minako. I didn't have to like what I was being told to do, I simply had to do it. King Pharias's generals were no different. Neither were the generals that came before them either."

Diamond stood up, taking Minako by the wrist and pulling her to her feet. "I had really hoped that having you here would make things easier. Unfortunately I fear that your presence only agitates things further for Kunzite. I'm going to be sending you away in a couple of days."

"Everything I thought I knew has been a lie. What do I have to fear now?"

"What a brave little girl you pretend to be."


	5. January 17, 621

Thunder cracked loudly overhead, the sky briefly illuminated by a flash of lightening. Kunzite pulled Minako to him and wrapped his arms around her, her chest pressed tightly against his, their lips crashing together as the static electricity in the air danced over their skin. When he pulled back, he dropped to his knees, his hands bringing her fingers to his lips. "I have fallen for you. Literally, metaphorically - every part of my being needs you. I don't want you to leave. I have no intentions of sending you away. I want you here."

Rain started pouring down around them, another boom of thunder breaking the silence.

Minako pulled her hands free of his hold and stepped back towards the gazebo entrance, the back of her dress immediately drenched by the downpour. She looked down at the man professing his love for her. He was another man saying all of the things that she wanted to hear. And many that she did not.

She turned and ran from the gazebo, trying to avoid the larger puddles even though she was already soaked. Falling in the mud would not improve her situation in the least. When she made it back inside, she started shivering at the water running off her skin in rivulets.

This is what she should have wanted. So what if they had fought earlier? Her father had told her to make Kunzite love her, and unknowingly she had done just that.

Looking around, she decided to head towards the kitchen where she would be able to grab a warm drink and give herself some time to think.

The kitchens were empty when she arrived, though the fire that was burning in the hearth told her that at least one person was not too far away that she would go unnoticed. She moved by the fire, letting the warmth wash over her.

She wanted to scream. To block out her father's words. It didn't seem fair. If he couldn't love her for her, then she wanted no part of it at all. No more games of playing coy. Pretending to be the woman he wanted to chase after. He would know who she was and he would love the real her.

Minako knew that she would have to go to him tonight. She couldn't leave things as they were. There couldn't be any doubt in his mind.

Finally feeling full of her own conviction, she slipped from the kitchen and made her way towards Kunzite's room, following his own waterlogged trail. The cooler air of the tower room made her shivering return as water continued to drip from her. She would tell him everything.

Then suddenly he was there standing in front of her. Goosebumps dotted the bare flesh of his chest under the plush towel wrapped loosely around his shoulders. The way his pants, weighted with rain drops, hung low on his hips and she could see a small scar that ran across his lower abdomen, just barely visible in the low light of the hallway.

Reason had left her.

All rational thoughts were gone.

Blood thrummed through her body.

She wanted this man.

What were a few small lies anyway?


	6. April 5, 621

No matter how many times Minako played over the events in her head, she could not block out Kunzite's words. She could still see his face when he spoke. Underneath everything she kept trying to convince herself that she had seen something in him that would prove everything was a lie. Maybe he had shifted when speaking. Something in his tone. A glance that wasn't quite right.

She let out an exasperated sigh as she pressed her hands and forehead against the window. It was a pose that she had seen Kunzite do at night when he thought she had been sleeping and things were keeping him up. Is this what kept him awake at night?

How could no one know these things about him? Did he really love her? Or was the concept of marriage only to legitimize her before presenting her to his father?

Who was this man?

Who were any of them really?

She had spent nearly the first two weeks alone in her room. Then after the dinner where she had last seen Kunzite, Diamond kept her close to his side. He brought her everywhere, his hand always around her wrist. Light bruises had started to dot her skin - not only from the strength of his hold, but from the constant pressure that was always present.

Each conversation she was witness to gave her no further information of her plight, but only gave her a further sense of hopelessness. Small batches of soldiers were arriving from the North. Not enough to overtake Endymion's army, not yet anyway. Some, as she had found out, were there for her. The realty of her situation only became heavier.

What she had found to be the strangest part of everything, were the questions about Rebecca. She didn't understand the what she was being asked. Not at first anyway.

"Where does Rebecca go when Kunzite is gone?" Diamond asked.

"She never goes anywhere."

"I know she leaves the property. What I don't know is where she goes."

"I don't know." Minako looked around the room. This was a new room to her.

She hadn't paid attention as Diamond pulled her through the halls, nor did she pay attention to the argument Diamond had with Saphir. All of her energy had gone into ignoring the looks Rubeus had been giving her and the disgusting things he whispered into her ear. "What does Rebecca matter? Is Kunzite remorseful that he forgot her? I'd be happy to go fetch her for him."

Diamond smacked his hand on a small end table causing her to jump.

He would ask her the same questions in different ways, frustrated when she wouldn't give him a different answer.

The questions became interesting though when he asked about Rebecca having a lover. Of course Minako knew that there was some man that the other woman would not name. That did nothing to appease Diamond, only making him angrier at the uselessness of her responses.

Then he asked about a child.

A baby.

Had she ever heard either Rebecca or Kunzite talk about a child? When she gave pause, he focused on that, berating her for not answering.

So she lied.

"Of course I've heard talk of Rebecca. Back when there was a queen on the throne." She laughed to herself as she found herself quoting Kunzite. "People get confused when so much time has passed, right?"

"Tell me."

"Kunzite will never admit to anything."

"Kunzite lies," Diamond agreed. "Tell me what you know."

Rebecca and Kunzite had been in an argument the morning of the solstice. She assumed that they had been arguing over what Kunzite overheard. Maybe Rebecca had been lying too. In her mind, she wondered if perhaps this was why Kunzite was always angry whenever anyone spoke of him and Rebecca being involved.

Minako rambled on about gossip and stories and rumors. She added details of her own. Her tale ended with Rebecca having the child and sending it away in the darkness of night. Rebecca had been indebted to Kunzite after that point.

Then he slapped her, the back of his hand connecting with her cheekbone. Tears stung her eyes at the sudden, sharp pain. She could see his eyes darken, his whole face contorting with anger at her.

Saphir entered the room. "Diamond, you need to come with me."

"Don't ever waste my time with lies again," he spat at her. "Rubeus, watch her."

She could feel the bruise spreading out from her cheekbone. The cool glass beneath her cheek did little to ease her mind, but brought a small amount of relief to the throbbing pain running across her face.

Behind her she could feel Rubeus's eyes on her. She tried to block him out, to pretend she was alone. The pain of her cheek was a useful distraction for that.

Hands cupped her elbows, sliding up to capture her wrists. "It's rude to ignore someone when they are speaking to you," Rubeus said in his gruff voice.

"Then don't speak to me," she answered.

"Are you thinking of running?"

She could feel his breath on her neck but she had no space to retreat from him.

"I wish you would try," he continued. "You would be punished most severely." Minako ignored him, keeping her eyes steady in front of her. "Do you know what I would do to you?" he asked now, his head dipping down to whisper into her ear.

Minako attempted to slip from his grasp but was instead shoved harder against the glass of the window, her hands now held behind her back by one of his larger ones. She gasped as the air was nearly knocked from her by the force of his movement.

"Diamond doesn't care what happens to you. It's all a farce that he pretends to at all. Kunzite doesn't care either. That's why he won't see you anymore." His hand moved onto her shoulder, gliding over to her neck before beginning its descent down the length of her slender throat, coming to rest against her breast. "I wonder what else I might find if I keep looking."

Tears sprung to her eyes as she fought to pull her hands free and push away from the glass that he had trapped her body against. As the first tear descended on her cheek, he reached up and wiped it away. "Don't cry, Princess. Your tears do nothing for my mood and I figure that at least one of us should enjoy this."

"Please," she whimpered.

"Yes, beg. I like that. The mighty Kunzite's whore is mine to mount."

"I'm not his whore - I'm his wife."

"A pretty girl with her pretty lies."

"Enough, Rubeus," Diamond said as he entered the room. "There is someone here for her." Rubeus released Minako, making no effort towards explanation or apology. "Come, my pet," Diamond said, holding out his hand.

Minako stepped away from Rubeus, pressing her back to the window. Her arms crossed over her chest defensively. Diamond sighed. "Walk of your own free will or mine. Either way decide quickly."

She spared a glance at Rubeus, stepping around him to approach Diamond. His fingers slid into place around her wrist and he pulled her from the room, Rubeus following after. Minako could still feel his eyes on her back. Her cheek somehow throbbing even more now. Tears continued to run down her cheek and she wondered how she still had the ability to do so when everything inside of her had given up hope.

They moved through hallways, pausing before a room with the door closed. Diamond brushed at her face, wiping away the lingering tears, giving care to her swollen left cheek. The touch felt compassionate and it unnerved her. Perhaps he was again allowing himself the illusion that she was her cousin instead.

He pushed the door open to the room where a man was sitting at a small table. The man rose when they entered, revealing his blue uniform with a black and silver lined cape. Minako couldn't help but to notice the lack of a weapon at his hip. "What happened to her face?" the man asked. "King Alexander will not be happy about this."

Diamond ignored him and seated Minako at the other side of the table. "You wanted to see her and here she is. I have kept my end, now show me that you have kept yours."

"Where is Kunzite?"

"You don't need to speak with him."

"Are you sure she is with child? She looks too thin."

"The last couple of weeks have been hard on her, but I have a doctor on staff and he assures me that all is fine."

The man looked at Minako, watching as she kept her eyes down on the table. "Does she speak at all?"

"Never when you want her to." Diamond looked over his shoulder at Rubeus standing in the doorway. "You have five minutes." He strode from the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I am Magne Haldor," he said to Minako once they were alone. "I am the ambassador for King Alexander Halvorson. My king has been very eager to meet you as Kunzite has been needlessly difficult about everything. Has Diamond prepared you for our journey?"

"Why do you want me?"

"It's not you he wants. It's your child. Your and Kunzite's child."

"Why doesn't he want Kunzite? Won't he be returning a hero?"

"That is far more complicated. As I mentioned, Kunzite and King Alexander's relationship is tenuous at best. He doesn't need him though, not now that there is a child. King Alexander has agreed to legitimize Kunzite's birth. Your child will be named his heir. We are placing a lot of faith in this child being born male. Male children run strong in this family line. If it is not, you will have another one."

She flinched internally. "What does that mean have another one? With who?"

"Kunzite of course. He will remain with Diamond until everything is in place."

"I'm not some sow for breeding."

Magne smiled at her. She couldn't decide if he thought the patronizing look could be misconstrued as comforting.

"Of course not. That is why you will be given a place in the court. King Alexander holds no ill will towards you and will be indebted to you for what you will have done for his kingdom. Besides, he is aware of your significant value here. You will of course have no hand in raising the child as you know nothing of our kingdom or customs, nor will you be placed in line for the throne. It will pass directly from the king to his grandchild."

Grandchild. The weight of everything came down on her with that one word. "What choice do I have?"

"Your father agreed to this and Kunzite is no longer in a position where he can dispute it."

"My father?"

"Yes Lord Jalen. I assumed that you had been made aware since you had made such an effort to conceive that child." She shook her head. "We will be leaving tonight. All of this will be left behind you."

"Why doesn't King Alexander take Diamond as his heir if he doesn't want Kunzite?"

Magne laughed. "The breeding standards to take the throne in our kingdom are clearly far higher than they are here. Diamond had King Alexander's ear because he had what my king wanted. Otherwise he does not acknowledge him."

"But they are-"

Diamond burst into the room and pulled Minako from her seat. "You have been dishonest with me, my pet."

"What is this?" Magne said, rising quickly from his seat.

"She won't be leaving tonight."

"I brought you the soldiers that you asked for. Endymion is moving to close the borders. If I don't take her now, I will lose my chance to safely cross over."

"Then you may go. She will stay with me."

"You will not take her from King Alexander!"

"Her value just increased." He looked towards Minako who kept her eyes to the ground. "When exactly did you exchange vows with Kunzite?" When she remained silent, he shook her. "Tell me when and who was witness."

Her mind was spinning and not wanting to comprehend the weight of her words. If he was this impatient for her answer, she knew that she had said something very wrong to Rubeus.

"Come now," he prompted her, "I'm most eager to know how it is that you came to be carrying his heir and not his bastard." Diamond grabbed her chin and yanked her face so that their eyes met. "Tell me that this is his heir, Minako, and you will make me a happy man." He cocked his head to the side, watching as her blue eyes remained clouded with tears and her chin began to quiver.

"You kept this from me?" Magne demanded.

"I had hoped, but never had any evidence. Minako was gracious enough to share this information with my second-in-command just this afternoon. You can tell Alexander that he will have a proper bloodline that no one can call into question."

"Even more reason for you to give her to me now."

"I lack the proof of this revelation. Give me two more weeks and I'll have whoever performed the rites standing before me."


	7. The Solstice: March 21, 621

Slipping out of the palace had been easier than Minako thought it would be. Once they donned their masks and pulled their hoods over their heads, they looked just like any other reveler. She had expected Kunzite to rush them through the crowd, but instead he took her hand and held her back, whispering in her ear that they would be noticed for moving too quickly.

The only time he seemed to hesitate was when they reached the front gates. Guards stood posted at the entrance watching as people came and went. A few were searching individuals as they entered, although they seemed to pay little mind to those departing.

When they crossed through the gate, she exhaled, her heart pounding.

"You looked terrified."

"I am terrified."

"You're with me."

"What would have happened if we were caught leaving?"

"Nothing."

"Then why did we have to sneak out?"

He said nothing in response to her and they continued walking in silence, hands clasped as they made their way through the busy streets, pausing in front of a temple.

"There is something that I need to do. Wait here for me." He gave her hand a squeeze then walked off into the crowds. She remained watching until he was no longer in sight, then walked inside the temple.

Very few people were in the temple that night as most had already taken to the streets in celebration. The quiet of being inside was a pleasant reprieve after the excitement of the crowds on the streets. As she waited for Kunzite to return, she dropped to her knees, head bent and began reciting her prayers to the old gods.

When she finished, and he hadn't yet returned, she walked towards the temple door to watch the crowds outside move by. Most wore light colors to celebrate the beginning of spring. A few dressed in costumes, some stopping at different intervals to perform.

Her eyes watched as a couple dressed as Endymion and Serenity moved past. They waved their hands as though they were part of a parade. The man grabbed the woman and dipped her backwards into a scandalous kiss that had the crowd cheering for them. Four men dressed in clothing that humorously mimicked the generals followed after them, waving wooden swords in the air.

"Minako," Kunzite said into her ear as his hand fell to her lower back. She turned to face him, noticing his eyes were following the non-royal couple and the false guards making their way down the street.

"Is it strange watching someone pretending to be you?"

"I think they play the parts far better than the real generals." When they disappeared from view he turned back to look at her. "The priestess is waiting."

"Priestess?"

"We're going to marry." He paused to take her hands. "Once we are bound by our vows, no one will have a say in our future."

"What will happen to you when Endymion finds out?"

"It doesn't matter. Some things are bigger than the crown."

They both walked into the temple and down the aisle towards the altar where the fair-haired priestess waited for them. She was dressed in a red robe with dark colored lines painted on her hands. Her wrists were bare of any marks, only adorned with gold bands.

"General," she said with a bow of her head in his direction. "My lady," she then said to Minako, dropping into a low curtsey. "Shall we begin?"

"Your discretion is appreciated," Kunzite said as he stood before her.

"Of course." She smiled at the couple. "We will do this in the style of the blessings to the old gods." As she stepped towards them, she produced a long layer of red cloth that she used to tie Minako's right hand to Kunzite's left. She sang a hymn as she tied the complicated knot, the soft silk sliding easily across their skin.

When she was done, she stepped back, holding the remaining ends in each hand of her outstretched arms. "Blessed are our symbols, as they can outwardly show what we can each only inwardly know." She offered one end to Minako and the other to Kunzite as she continued with the rites.

"As willingly as you each stand her, you shall each willingly symbolically tie your lives together. With each layer you demonstrate your love to one another." She helped Minako to wrap her end around both of their forearms, letting the remaining end hang down between them. Then she helped Kunzite to do the same, her lips moving as she spoke aloud each god's name and blessing.

"And now to each other, say your vows and then we shall finish the final rites."

Minako's heart beat in her chest as she looked at Kunzite standing across from her. He looked handsome in the black uniform and she could feel herself blushing as their hands came together.

"Miko," he whispered. "It is only you and I."

"I will always be loyal to you," she said, voice low. "It will always be you and I."

"You will live as my queen."

He pressed his lips to hers.

As they stepped back to face the priestess again, she pulled at the center of the ribbon where it joined between their two hands, easily slipping over their wrists, the material unraveling from around them. She picked up one end and began to tie looping knots, placing a kiss over each one before moving to the next. When the last knot had been tied, she bowed her head to Kunzite and curtseyed to Minako, then turned to walk towards the fire that had been burning within its large copper container. She held the knotted ribbon over her head, murmuring one final blessing before dropping it into the flames.

She turned to look at the couple, her lips smiling. "And so it is done. As the holy fire will always burn true, so shall your vows."

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

There was little time for celebration as they were now late to make it for the procession. Kunzite pulled her through the crowds, running when the walkway was clear enough. As they approached the gates, Minako pulled back on Kunzite's hand, yelling his name.

"We don't have time," he argued, continuing to pull her forward.

"There's something I have to tell you," she insisted, yanking her hand free. "Please," she begged, "listen to me."

He stopped and turned to face her. "What is it, Miko?"

Her heart fluttered at the name. He would forgive her. He couldn't be angry with her. "When my father sent me to you, he told me I had to make you love me. He told me who I needed to be, and at first that was who I was. Then you looked at me, seeing me for the first time, and I knew that I couldn't be her. I wanted you to love me - and you did."

"I know."

"There's more, Kunzite." She took a breath, turning her eyes down, not wanting to see the look in his eyes. Afraid it would be rejection looking back at her.

"I know everything that you and your father were planning, Minako."

"I don't know what you're-" He grabbed her and pressed his hand to her mouth effectively silencing her. "I told you in the beginning that you could try to do things your way but that in the end things would go my way. Your father made the wrong alliance, but he will get what he wished."

The letters that she had seen on the table. Those were the ones her father had sent her.

Some of his words were lost in the sounds around them as she kept picturing that box on the table in his office. "I'm going to send you away from here."

A surge in movement caught his attention as a fight broke out in front of the gate. Some people scattered while others pushed forward to see what was happening. Kunzite pulled off his solstice mask and threw it to the ground as he pushed his way into the melee to break up the drunks in the middle. A guard grabbed Minako and pulled her away from Kunzite.

When his back was turned, she took off along the wall, slipping in with a group of revelers who were leaving the palace. They walked along the wall heading west, laughing and singing a bawdy song, not noticing that their party now included one more.


	8. April 13, 621

Another week had now passed.

Another week without rescue.

Another week without any hope.

"You can tell Alexander that he will have a proper bloodline that no one can call into question."

Diamond's words had shocked her more than she thought anything else would be able to. Her mind had shut out everything else around her. She didn't know how much longer Diamond proceeded to yell at her. She couldn't even recall anything he had said. Even Rubeus's leer could not get through to her.

Kunzite was really going to seize the throne. Just like that.

When she was brought back to her room, she curled up in bed and laid there until sleep came. When she awoke in the morning, she ate the food that they brought her, sometimes asking for seconds, thankful for the dulling effect of the sedative they placed in there. After a couple of days, Diamond realized what she was doing and had the sedative removed.

He wouldn't let her out of his sight. All day his hand remained affixed to her wrist. At night he started keeping her sleeping by his side. She knew her value to him. She also understood that he was walking a very fine line of keeping the Northern soldiers cooperative. Magne Haldor had retreated back to his own kingdom, telling Diamond that he would be back in two weeks and that Minako would be going with him.

The woman Beryl was getting angrier by the day at Diamond, saying that he had become greedy and lost focus. They were all careful not to mention Kunzite's name around Minako. Beryl had told Diamond to let her talk to Minako, but he refused. Not that Minako would have cared one way or another. At some point a person became so broken that they lost the will to fight back.

Diamond had brought her to the dining room for lunch, only the two of them sitting at the table. The others were notably missing. She ate her food taking small bites, relishing for a moment the broken contact between their bodies. He watched her, taking in every movement. It was clear that she had stopped being his guest and started being his prisoner. The courtier calmness he had once possessed was long gone.

"Do you think I will run away?" She asked.

Diamond only laughed in response.

"You watch me as though you fear I would disappear."

"No, my pet, I watch you because only a lesser man would be fooled into thinking he controls the world. That the flap of a butterfly's wings couldn't ruin everything."

"What happened in Calingstone?"

"I don't want to talk about Calingstone," he spat, drinking from his water.

"I want to know who you are. A man that kills children-"

"Do you want me to be the monster that keeps you up at night?"

"You already are."

Rubeus entered the room, his step lacking its normal confidence under Diamond's glare.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

"We caught a spy close to the premises. One of the Northern soldiers brought him in."

Diamond sighed. "Another? They seem to be coming closer each time."

"Coincidence I assure you."

"Let's see what this one knows." He rose from his seat, his fingers latching onto Minako's wrist. She put her utensils down and stood as well, docilely allowing herself to be lead from the room.

Defeat continued to eat at her like acid, but she knew that was what he wanted. He treated her as though she was a flight risk with the way he held her near him, yet where was she to go? She had been so sequestered that she had yet to see any exit.

And so what if she did? The grounds were covered with soldiers. She watched them making rounds whenever she was near enough a window to do so.

Rubeus whispered something to Diamond before they entered through the large oak doors and into the spacious room. The room was bare of all furniture and felt as if it were little more than a room within a dungeon.

In the middle of the room stood a young man, his hands and feet in chains, body shaking with the occasional tremor. He looked pale, almost green, his eyes jumping to take in the three new entrants, stopping when he saw Diamond.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked Minako, earning a shake of her head in response. "Speak," he yelled, voice echoing off the walls.

"No," she whispered.

"But you know what he is." Neither question or statement.

"He's one of Endymion's soldiers."

"One of Nephrite's." He shook his head as though it were the greatest disappointment he could imagine. "Do you know why you are here?"

She started to shake her head but then stopped herself, offering up a meager sounding 'no' instead.

Diamond turned his eyes to the soldier. "Boy," he drawled, "do you know who this is standing in front of you?"

The young soldier shook his head.

"Have you heard of Kunzite's defection?"

Again the boy shook his head.

"Kunzite is no longer with Endymion, he is with me. This girl is his bride. She is going to determine whether you live or if you are to take your last breath instead. I'm assuming that you wish to live?"

A nod.

"Ask her to spare your life."

"Please," the soldier whispered, his eyes jumping from Diamond to the blonde at his side and back again.

"Tell her your name."

"Stephen."

Minako looked at the boy. A few weeks ago it would have pained her to see such fear in someone's eyes. They probably would have seen the same reflected in hers. Now what did it matter? In a matter of a few weeks this boy would probably be dead anyway. Didn't he understand that?

"Let the boy live," she whispered, her voice without emotion.

"This boy killed one of my own. Isn't it fair to say 'an eye for an eye'?"

"You've shown me that life is not always fair."

He cupped her chin and turned her eyes up to his. She could feel the tightness of his fingers against her skin, his warm breath against her own.

"Do you think you're clever?"

She shook her head. "I'm not afraid of what comes next. My fate has already been decided."

"Do you think it is not me who controls your fate?"

"You are nothing without Kunzite."

His hand cracked against her already injured left cheek, the pain burning through her as she fell backwards. Spots danced across her vision as she shook her head against the surging pain. The soldier yelled at Diamond, calling him a bastard and struggling against the chains that kept him from moving forward to Minako's aid.

She could see the light return to his eyes as he tried to protect her. Then Diamond's attention turned to the boy, his fist connecting with jaw. The boy dropped and Diamond kicked him in the ribs over and over, blood spitting from the boy's mouth.

Minako's eyes went wide. For a moment she was thirteen again and she had been caught kissing Dâni. She could see her father's hand hitting him with the whip as he fought to not cry out. "Stop!" she screamed, trying to scramble to her feet.

Diamond looked up at her, a cruel smile on his lips. He withdrew a dagger and cut a deep line across the boy's throat, blood bubbling out. Crimson dripped off the edge of the blade, the droplets splashing against the stone below. The dagger clattered to the floor as Diamond crossed over to crouch in front of her. "Do not ever speak those words to me again. You have no idea what he has done. I don't need him for anything. Kunzite is here to serve me."

"Then why are you so angry?"

His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her throat. "I have been planning for this moment for years. Do you think it is easy to push so many people into a single direction? Do you think that Kunzite fell in love with you by accident? I made sure it was you he wanted. Now here we are. The last piece is your surprising marriage to Kunzite. Tell me who your witness is."

Minako's eyes looked over to the fallen soldier. The young boy that didn't even look old enough to have enlisted. "This child was conceived as a bastard and will be born a bastard."

"Victors write history, my pet."

"Then why not have Kunzite marry me now with you as our witness if it is so simple?"

Diamond smiled and pushed her onto the ground. "Rubeus," he called to the forgotten man standing by the door. "Bring me another one." Rubeus nodded his head, stepping out into the hallway to gesture towards an unseen person. "How many lives will it take for you to see things my way?" he hissed, his voice chilling her to her core with his icy tone and hardened look.

She surprised even herself with her response. "I want to see Kunzite."

Rubeus walked in with another soldier in chains, this one only slightly older than the last. He looked at the body of his fallen comrade, trying to pretend he was brave enough to face the same fate.


	9. April 20, 621

Her fingers traced the curved lines that had been carved into her arm. The cuts weren't deep, but the skin was raised all the same.

Diamond killed the next soldier and then the one after that. Blood pooled on the floor.

Oddly the only thing her mind could think of was that there was no smell of blood in the air. People always talked about the metallic scent.

He shook her when she didn't respond. "What?" she stuttered, shaking her head.

"What do you mean he's back already?" Diamond asked Saphir? "He isn't supposed to be here until tomorrow."

"He said that King Alexander has his soldiers in place and that he can't wait any longer. The summer solstice is just over a month away. The girl needs to be cleaned up and presented."

'Has it been so many weeks?' Minako asked herself as she continued to touch the scarred skin.

Diamond yanked the sleeve of her left arm up past her elbow. The tip of the blade pressed into her skin, slicing the surface so lightly that only a few beads of blood pooled over milky flesh. "I am to keep you safe for the sake of the child you carry. There is no condition that I agreed to where you couldn't bleed. Speak or I cut to the bone."

"Endymion was our witness."

The blade pressed deeper. Her lips parted, a squeak of pain escaping. Pain lanced through her body like lightning across water. Her nerves burned from the edge of the blade. From the feel of his hand holding her arm.

A scream ripped from her when he lifted the blade to start a new line. She prayed the pain would take her into unconsciousness but mercy was not on her side.

The blade cut an s shape against her skin. "You'll learn to tire of your lies."

"Is he telling you anything?"

Saphir hesitated. "No."

"Have you told him what happened to her?"

"Yes."

"Does he know that Magne will be taking her tomorrow?"

"No."

"Then he'll find out."

Diamond picked up the dagger and put it in Minako's hand. "You do it this time." She tried to drop the blade but he wrapped her fingers around the handle tightly. When he released her, she swung the blade at him, but he was ready and easily blocked her. "I'm glad there is still fight in you."

"Let Magne speak with him. Maybe that will give him some urgency."

"I'll move him."

Rubeus left the room and returned with another soldier, making him drop to his knees. Three bodies laid on the floor telling this new man what his fate would obviously be.

"Tell him one of your lies," Diamond said to Minako as he dragged her to kneel behind the man. He sat on his haunches, her body between his knees, the dagger in her hand secured with her own fingers.

"You're lucky."

"Why would you tell him that?"

"Because his captivity ends here."

Diamond looked to Rubeus who moved forward to step on the chains that bound the man's hands together, the blade of his sword pressing against the soldier's neck. Diamond took Minako's hand with the dagger and pointed at the lower left side of the soldier's back with the tip. "This will kill a man but not for hours. This is what killed Zoicite." Minako struggled against him, a sob escaping her. "This will be a quicker death," Diamond said as he tapped the blade higher up between shoulder blades. "It only takes a couple of minutes for the lungs to fill up with so much blood that you drown. It isn't pleasant, but it's better than the internal bleeding from your liver."

"I hate you," she whispered.

Her hand was yanked backwards and forced into the lower back of the soldier. He hissed in pain.

"Tell me," Diamond demanded, not letting her withdraw her hand.

"A priestess."

"Which one?"

"I don't know."

Diamond twisted the blade and the soldier yelled out in pain.

It would be getting dark outside soon. The sun was still visible on the horizon, but was beginning its decent into the trees. For better or worse, the days had started to grow longer.

Minako continued to trace the raised skin on her arm as she stared off into the distance. Her check still throbbed, though that pain had started to subside some. She tried to avoid seeing her reflection. It was hard to face what she had done.

Saphir paced the room by the door. It was the first time that she had been left alone with him. Rubeus had gone off with Diamond earlier. Dâni had not been around since that day when she had asked that he be sent away.

He didn't make her nervous the way that Diamond did. Saphir was quiet. Didn't often make eye contact. In the back of her mind she saw herself hitting him with a piece of furniture while he was distracted, then running out the door. She giggled at the thought.

She could hear the argument in the hallway before she could hear the approaching footsteps. Diamond was always so in control of everything. Except whatever it was he most desperately wanted it seemed.

Minako knew what was going to happen. The door would be thrown open. Diamond would enter, his yelling ceased. He would grab her wrist and pull her from the chair. Perhaps it would be a tug, or maybe a yank. It depended on how crazed he was feeling that day she supposed.

The door opened and she smiled. The yelling had stopped and footsteps rapidly approached her. She let her forearm rest on the chair, wrist dangling over the edge.

Diamond knelt in front of her, making her shrink back into the chair. This was different. She didn't know what to do with different.

"I think we have come to the point in our relationship where we have stopped lying to each other. Would you agree?"

"Yes."

"Are you lying now?" She slowly shook her head. "Good." He watched her. "I'm going to ask you to do something for me. You're going to see Kunzite now. There is something that he is refusing to tell me that I must know. Convince him to tell me."

"He doesn't tell me anything."

"He will tell you anything now." His fingers brushed over her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I will reward you."

"There is nothing you can give me."

"You will change your mind." His fingers closed around her wrist and he pulled her from the chair. They walked out the door, Rubeus falling into step behind them.


	10. Part 4: The Rise and Fall of Kunzite

April 609 - Danik age 13

A young boy with pale hair sat at his desk copying lines and lines of text from an old tome near his right elbow. His left hand wrote with precision, the curve of each letter smooth and even. There were no smudges of ink on paper or hand, no lines on the paper to act as a guide, yet all words ran in horizontal perfection across the page.

He could detect the smell of vanilla in the room and he smiled. His mother always wore that scent and it had a calming effect on him.

"Your tutor left you hours ago, Danik," his mother said. "You don't have to keep working."

"Father is sending me away to the monastery. I figured I should be as well versed as possible before then."

Her hand came to rest on his shoulder. "It's only for a few years while he establishes Patrik as his heir. You won't be banished forever. I won't let him and you know he listens to me."

Danik's mouth pulled into a straight line. His mother may have been the king's favorite mistress, but she was still just that. The queen had the king's ear, although not enough that he would agree to banish her competition. Only her competition's son. "Mother-"

"No, Danik," she said, interrupting him. "Alexander wants you present. Your brother's betrothed is arriving today. You should be there."

"No one knows who I am to even know if I'm there at all." He pushed away from his chair and dropped his pen on the parchment, smearing the ink. "How could he agree to wed our prince to some wealthy no-one of the Central Kingdom?"

"You know not to question your father," she chastised him.

"Yes," he said, "I live to obey."

He followed his mother to the throne room where they stood in the aisle towards the front. Never directly in the front row, that would be too disrespectful to the queen.

The crowd around them murmured the same thoughts that he had voiced earlier. How does a girl from an inferior kingdom become queen of theirs? She would no doubt be spoiled and expect great overindulgences. What a surprise she would be in for.

King Alexander entered the room from the side, the queen and her son walking just behind him. He took his seat under the adoring, and sometimes fearful, glances of the gathered crowd. The queen and prince standing behind his throne.

Danik noticed that the youngest prince was missing. It was no secret the boy was sickly. He was probably in bed with his nursemaid. Another disappointment to the proud king. While it was cruel to even think it, he wondered why the king allowed the boy to live at all. The people of the North relished strength and would never accept a sickly boy as any type of ruler.

The doors to the far end opened to reveal a young girl who bravely walked the length of the room on her own. Danik guessed she was probably ten or so. Too young to actually get married, but old enough that promises could be made. As if by chance, her eyes caught his, their dark depths causing him to pause. Her long raven locks shown nearly purple in the lights of the room.

When she made it to the steps of the dais, she dropped into a low curtsey, arms fully extended as she was crouched nearly to the ground. As she rose to her feet, the king signaled for his son Patrik to stand next to the girl.

Patrik was nearly ten years her senior, his lighter features a contrast to her darker ones. He took her smaller hand in his as protocol required.

"My people," King Alexander said from behind the young couple, his hands on their shoulders. "I welcome you all on this momentous day. Your beloved prince, Prince Patrik, future king of the north, has chosen his consort. She will stand beside him in all that is to come. Welcome her as I do. Lady Rei van Anders."

July 611 - Danik age 15

Rei ran through the halls of the old castle, her skirts gripped tightly in her hands as she tried to keep herself from tripping over the silken edges. Red streaks stained her cheeks from the trails of tears. Her breath came out in light gasps as she forced herself to keep running as fast as she could.

As she reached the doors to the chapel she stopped and fought to catch her breath. Down the long aisle she could see Danik kneeling in front of rows of candles, his hands clasped and head down. She rushed down the aisle and dropped to her knees besides him.

"He's dead," she said.

"I know," Danik responded, his tone empty.

"I don't understand why they killed him. What happened to him, Danik? Why would they do this?"

He knew the pain in her voice was real, but he couldn't see past his own grief in that moment. It had been her people that killed his brother. Didn't she understand that she would find no friends here? "There's a war coming, Rei, no one is safe."

"What will happen now?"

"Your parents will renegotiate and they will see to it that you and my youngest brother will wed instead. You'll be closer in age."

"I loved Patrik," she whispered.

"Patrik loved his crown." Regret filled him as the words left his mouth. He had learned to like this girl from the enemy kingdom. "I will avenge his death."

"How will you do that?"

"I will fight in their war and find the men responsible. I don't care who it is, they will be punished."

October 612 - Danik age 16

Danik had perhaps fooled himself into thinking that he would do any good with his return home. He had snuck back into the kingdom, only using his name when cornered. His hope had been to say goodbye to his mother and perhaps convince her to leave with him.

He had been wrong though. She refused to leave Saintus Melenachas. She refused to leave Alexander. Even worse, she had her maid send for the king without him noticing.

Alexander arrived in her suite in his usual fury. Since this was his mistresses room, he at least lacked the normal fanfare.

Danik stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes forward, face expressionless. He wore a uniform foreign to his own homeland, the emblazoned emblem on his leather chest plate indicative of the Central Kingdom. His hair brushed just past his shoulders - something that he knew annoyed his father to no end.

"You cannot join our rivals' army," King Alexander spat. "What of your own kingdom and your own people? Are they not worthy?"

"Some causes are bigger than others," Danik responded.

"And what happens when you are killed in this ridiculous crusade of a mad king?"

"I will not bow to death, father, you have taught me better than that. Is it not our family's motto that we obey none that are not our own?" Danik's father reached out and struck his cheek with the back of his hand. His mother gasped and moved to step forward to intervene between the two but was stopped by her Alexander's arm blocking her way.

"That is enough, Danik!" the King spat. "You will remove that armor and denounce your intentions. My son will not partake in their war. My heir will not partake in their war."

"Have you already written off your youngest son for dead then?"

"We both know he will never ascend to the throne," came the gravelly response. "He will be lucky to see his eighth birthday. There is no use spending the time on something that has already been decided."

"Then perhaps you should begin to look for better doctors as I will not be inheriting your legacy, father. I am a bastard as you frequently reminded me when you had Patrik to dangle in front of us."

The King reached out and wrapped his fingers around the top of Danik's leather chest covering, drawing their faces together. "I have worked to salvage what I could for your future. Will you do this to your mother?"

"I have always been obedient to you. I have done everything that was asked of me. If you won't avenge Patrik, then I will."

"Their prince is a weak boy and the king is detested. When he is overthrown we will take over their kingdom and that is how our revenge will be served. Now remove your armor and rescind your decision."

"No."

The king raised his hand in a fist and Danik's mother threw her body against his arm, not wanting to watch her son struck again. "Please, Danik," she begged grasping Danik's hands into her own, "do as your father the king asks."

"Our paths are chosen for us. This one is not mine."

King Alexander pulled back on Danik's mother, pushing her behind him, not caring when she nearly fell as she stumbled to catch her footing. "If you leave now, you will never be welcomed back into this kingdom. Your life will be forfeit."

"Then I suppose we should both pray that I do not survive this war."


	11. March 21, 614

March 21, 614

The royal family sat at the high table in the great hall, enjoying the meal before they would have to go outside for the King to give his speech. Guests overindulged on food and wine while those outside these walls had barely enough. Yet another flaw of this kingdom. The king could never have enough it seemed.

Dâni stood behind the table with the other members of the queen's guard. On his other side stood the members of the king's guard. His men wore colors of different uniforms with additional adornments to make their ranks more noticeable. The queen's guard dressed well, but paled in comparison. It was foolish really, Dâni mused, that you would draw the most attention to the men who protected the most important man. Adornments were for decoys.

On either side of the royals sat the king's Generals. Jasper sat closest to the king while Azurite sat next to the queen. The young prince was notably missing from the room tonight. Perhaps he really was the spoiled boy who overindulged with his guardian friend.

General Azurite leaned in to speak softly to the queen, his eyes breaking away to look over Dâni before returning to his conversation. The look was clearly personal. It was well known that Azurite didn't trust anyone, so Dâni didn't care. As far as anyone knew, his name was Kunzite and he was promoted by Nephrite for his bravery on the battlefield.

When the king stood, the room stood. All plates were cleared and the courtiers made their way outside. King Pharias placed Queen Anne's hand on his arm and they made their way through the halls and out into the crowds, the king's generals close behind them.

Palace doors swung wide open as they made their way outside to the awaiting crowds. Guards lined their walkway, clearing the path for the king and queen, escorted by their guard, to make their way to the platform. Dâni watched the king's gait, wondering if he had enough to drink that he would make a fool of himself. He would enjoy watching that if Nephrite didn't come to retrieve him first.

As if summoned by thought, a hand reached out and grabbed Dâni's arm, pulling him out of step and into the crowds. "Put your hood on," Nephrite hissed over the cheers of the crowd. Dâni obliged and followed the captain through the crowds and out through the castle walls.

"This is a very secretive meeting you've requested."

"With the speeches going on, no one will notice that we're missing."

Dâni resisted moving his left hand towards the hilt of the sword strapped to his right hip. "And where are we going?"

"Walk with me," Nephrite said, leading Dâni past the stables and into the darkened line of trees. They walked in silence, only the sound of dried branches crunching under heavy boots. With only the crescent moon in the sky, the dark haired soldier was barely visible to Dâni's eye with his tall frame covered by the same black cloak that matched his own.

They emerged into a clearing surrounded by brambles so thick, that they resembled a wall. Within the clearing stood Prince Endymion.

Dâni looked to the dark prince, again fighting the urge to reach for a weapon. "What is this?" he asked, watching as Nephrite moved to stand at the prince's side.

"I've been wanting to speak with you," the prince responded, stepping further into the clearing. "I know who you are."

"I am no one. Just a guard in this palace."

"You are Prince Danik masquerading as a palace guard. The question is what you are doing hiding inside my borders."

Dâni laughed. "I have no title. I have no throne. I have no kingdom."

"Your father sent a letter to my father demanding that you be returned to him. Fortunately for both of us I intercepted it. My father would have turned you into a hostage."

That explained why Nephrite had come to him. He chastised himself for his arrogance that he hadn't been aware that he was a hostage. What kind of assassin was he turning out to be? "What do you plan to do with this knowledge?"

"I will make a deal with you," Endymion said.

"You have nothing to offer me as you have already shown."

"I can tell you what happened to Prince Patrik."

"I already know who is to blame for his death," Dâni spat. "The man you call Azurite."

"It wasn't Azurite, Danik. It was-"

"Don't call me that," Dâni growled. "We are not friends. We are not equals."

"Kunzite," Endymion corrected himself. "It was soldiers. Prince Patrik and his convoy got too close to the border. They had been told to watch for aggression from King Alexander while we were at war. We had to be careful that he didn't attack while we were distracted. It was an accident that he was killed. General Azurite heard of the deployment and rode there as quickly as he could but he was too late to do anything."

"So he left a prince to lie in the dirt like a slaughtered pig and deny him burial rights? His body and those that traveled with him had been picked apart by scavengers. There was no public ceremony for the kingdom to attend. After what you have done, you believe that I owe you anything?"

"King Alexander took money from my father to agree not to retaliate for the death. It was his desire to stir up anger in your kingdom that led him to leave Prince Patrik out there for as long as he did. Would you be as angry if his body had been returned immediately with explanation of what happened? Or did this awaken your anger against my people?"

"The details won't bring me vengeance. Only one thing will."

Dâni stepped forward, not caring that Nephrite edged closer to Endymion, body tensed. "Step back," he growled at Nephrite. "I'm a far better swordsman than either of you."

Endymion held out his hands, extending his arms between the two men. "And what is it you are looking for?"

"Your life. One prince for another."

"If you help me to remove my father from the throne, I will help you to get revenge on all the men who are to blame."

"You're lying."

He took a step forward. "I am not my father. I can end this war and you can help me."

"You would trust me not to strike you down while you sleep?"

"I do."

"Words you may live to regret."

Endymion took another step forward, extending his hand. "What do you say?"

Dâni laughed. "I am not a pawn that either of you can move about. Do you think that I have not grown up being forced to learn everything about you? You who was supposed to be my enemy if I were to ascend the throne? We were not born to be friends, and your people taking the life of my brother - my kingdom's heir - has solidified that."

"I will offer you my father instead. It was his order, albeit by accident, that caused your brother's death. When he is removed from the throne, I will make a new treaty with your kingdom. We'll increase trade between our people."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You protect my mother as she sleeps. She is the person that I love most in life and I trust her life in your hands."

"Don't start lying to me now, Endymion," Dâni condescended. "I told you that I know everything about you. There is most certainly someone that you have learned to love even more. I hear that one day you are to wed her."

"She lives outside of the capital, I can't place you in her guard. I need you here. If all goes well, within the year my father will no longer be seated on the throne. When all is said and done, I will let you decide how you wish to avenge your brother's death. If it means you must take someone's head, then so be it. I won't deny you what you want most."

"Words you may live to regret."


	12. April 614

April 614

Endymion's words haunted Dâni. His anger came at him in waves and some days it took all that he had to keep it from showing to those around him.

He had joined the army under the guise of fighting this rebel army. In actuality he was searching for the soldiers who frequented the northern border. Any that served a tour along the border, he killed in the dead of night without witness. Those from the lower regions he always walked away from. It was not an exact science, but it gave him something to channel his anger into.

After some time he realized how pointless his actions were. He would never find the men. He had no way of even knowing if they still lived. more likely than not, they had been put to death to ensure their silence.

That's when he decided that Endymion would be his revenge. Yet when he had the chance that night, only a couple of weeks ago, he didn't take it.

And it enraged him.

He didn't hesitate when it came to anything. There was no fear that he bowed to. Even risking his own death by Nephrite's hand didn't concern him.

Something made him want to trust the prince. Something made him feel that he could believe the promises being made to him. Perhaps it was his demeanor - that when he spoke, you could see the honesty in his eyes as easy as you heard the words on his tongue. Perhaps it was a simple as knowing that by killing the prince, he would break the heart of the queen that he had become fond of.

She was a good woman who was relegated to little more than head of household after producing a male heir. He supposed that she would have been celebrated had she been able to carry any further children. As it was, she barely managed to have the first child with her doctors fearing that another birth would take her life.

The king obviously did not share the concerns of the physicians. He at least had the decency to not have any bastards.

"Kunzite," the queen said in her soft voice, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes, your majesty," he said with a bow of his head, allowing his thoughts to break away.

"You seem troubled."

"Is there something you need, your majesty?"

"We're going to the summer palace for a couple of weeks."

"So early in the season? I didn't think that you were to leave until June."

She hesitated and Dâni knew that her next words would be a lie. Her hesitation was her tell. "I'd like to get away for a while. All of the fighting that keeps coming closer to our doorstep, it's too much."

"If that is what you wish."

"It's what I wish, Kunzite." Her eyes met his as he held her gaze. He felt himself faltering, wanting to look away, but he kept looking back at her until she smiled and rose from her seat at the window. "I'd like to leave today," she said as she approached the door where he stood. "Bring as few guards as you must and don't alert any of the courtiers. Rebecca will help you to coordinate the staff that will accompany me. I'd like to be alone."

His head turned ever so slightly. Did she have a lover that she had been waiting to see? Under the watch of her previous captain, she would have had no problem slipping away. After the solstice, Endymion had taken the unprecedented step of having Dâni promoted to the head guard. The old captain had been relieved of all duties.

It was not his place to pass judgment for he couldn't blame her for the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that he was sure she constantly endured. "As you wish," he said, his head nodding in acquiescence as he followed her out the door.


	13. August 614

August 614

King Pharius and his band of courtiers had arrived at the summer palace in July - late in the season. His generals surrounded him as he traveled, and it was clear to anyone watching that they had grown weary of their station. Once tall, proud men, now sat low in their saddles. The insomnia of the king had led to later and longer hours for the generals.

Notably only three generals rode with him. General Agate had been killed in battle weeks earlier. Some rebels had caught him unaware. As long as the rebels left Azurite for Dâni, he didn't care that they picked off the other men.

Prince Endymion had arrived as well with Nephrite riding loyally at his side. It was strange to see Nephrite now dressed in the colors of General Azurite - clearly he had been taken on as a protege while Dâni had been away. Dâni had not faced the young royal or his captain since their late night introduction months ago.

The queen had passed pleasantries with the king as was to be expected. When she saw her son, she could barely suppress the tears in her eyes as her arms wrapped around him.

It had come as a surprise when the queen announced that she would be leaving for the winter palace only a couple of days later. She said the noise of the court brought on headaches and that she feared the rebels would follow the king and his generals. Dâni placed orders for her items to be packed and her guard to be ready. The day before she was to depart, she informed him that he would not be coming with her. She had asked her son to place him into his personal guard instead.

There was nothing he could do.

Nothing he could say.

When he was approached again by Endymion about joining his rebellion against the king, Dâni agreed without a second thought.

September 13, 614

Dâni stood by Endymion's side as the prince challenged his father. All of the pieces were in place. King Pharias's third general had been killed in battle. The second general was rumored to have been killed by Azurite. Although that was only speculation as Azurite would say nothing on the matter, not even an acknowledgement of his existence. All that remained were the first and fourth general, and there was no doubt that the fourth general only remained for his love of blood.

Endymion had all of the rebels positioned in the kingdom. Every stronghold had been taken and the few that remained were surrounded with soldiers who agreed to take orders from their prince. The king had been rendered impotent, but he would not accept that as reality.

"Father," Endymion implored. "It's over. I have the backing of both our military and that of the People's Army. They all stand against you."

"You're an impertinent boy!" Pharius roared, his voice echoing off the walls of his study.

Dâni glanced at the two generals who stood behind their king, hoping they would remain as impassive as they appeared. Endymion claimed that Azurite had promised a peaceful end to this meeting. Whatever that meant.

"I don't ask you to take a knee to me," Endymion said. "You can pick your palace and your staff and live your life in comfort. We will tell everyone that this is for your health. This fighting needs to stop."

The king moved closer to his son, looking down at him. "You have spurred a rebellion against your own kingdom and you now tell me to yield? You should be hanged for treason. I don't need you - I will have a new heir, one that is loyal to his father and not some traitorous ingrate."

Dâni couldn't help but to laugh to himself. Those words were the last that his own father had spoken to him as well. Perhaps all sons were expendable after all.

"I didn't start this rebellion - I only negotiated an end that doesn't involve you."

Pharius drew a dagger from his belt. Endymion's hands moved defensively to protect himself. Dâni took a step forward, anger roaring in his ears. Azurite had been the fastest of everyone, quickly closing the distance to throw his arms around the King.

"Pharius," Azurite said through clenched teeth, his body straining against the struggling monarch.

"Release me, Azurite! I will kill the boy!" A bubbling sound gurgled through his lips, his next words lost.

All eyes turned to see that Dâni had appeared at the king's side. He twisted the king's arm, using the king's own hand to dig the blade he wielded at his son, into his own chest. The king's hand fell away from the blade, Dâni pressing the blade deeper. Without a word, he released the blade and stepped back to Endymion's side.

The king's body fell slack to the floor, Azurite releasing him. "You killed the king," Azurite said, his eyes on Dâni. There was no emotion behind that statement.

"Did you not see him clutch his chest in the moments before he fell to the floor?" Dâni asked. "He has been under a lot of stress and has not been well as of late."

Endymion looked around the room, taking in the faces of the men that all watched him. "We will clean him up and move him to his bed. It is best that he passed of natural causes."

"No one will believe that," Azurite growled.

"He is your king now," Dâni answered, "and you will obey."

A laugh from the other general who had been silent until this moment. "You should know our traditions before you attempt to enforce the law," Carnelian said. "We are free men now. Our vow assures that we only ever have one king. Without Pharius, we know no other monarch."

Dâni approached Azurite so that they stood practically touching. He was nearly a head taller than the older general. His eyes darted for a moment to look at Endymion who shifted uncomfortably on his feet watching the two men. "Your quick acceptance will be for the best," he said in a low voice.

"Is this what you came here for, Danik?" Azurite whispered. "To trick our prince into thinking you a friend? To seduce his mother and kill his father?"

"Is it any more honorable to kill one of your fellow generals?"

Azurite smiled, the look lethal. He leaned in closer still. "You lie because you are selfish. I lie because I have to clean up the messes of others'. With me gone, it will be just you and your lies. You're lucky I cleaned up yours while I was able."

"What does that mean?"

Azurite stopped whispering. "Ask Anne." He took a step back, his open palm facing the other general, ordering him to stand down. "It's done, Carnelian."

Dâni reached down and took the crown from the fallen king, dropping to a knee and offering it to Endymion. "You are the only heir and the crown is now yours. Wear this with our trust that you will be a better ruler."

Endymion reached out with a shaking hand and accepted the crown, holding it at waist level. "I made you a promise that I plan to fulfill," he said to Dâni.

Dâni rose to his feet. "There is no longer a prince."

That single statement had absolved both of them of their vows. There was no longer a prince for Dâni to take revenge against.

There could be no more Danik.

Danik was dead.

At least as far as Dâni was concerned.

There was no going back to who he was.


	14. October 614

Kunzite rode his horse into the small clearing. Within seconds, men emerged from the tree line where they had made camp. Smoke from their fire rose over the tree tops. The smell of cooking meat wafted out around them.

He dismounted from his horse, the four men on horseback behind him remaining in place. "I'm looking for a man named Jonas," he called out to the group of men. To their credit, no one gave away who Kunzite was looking for.

The general's uniform that he wore made clear why he was there, so it was no surprise when no one came forward. He had been tasked with reassembling the army that had fractured with the transition of power. Roughly 30,000 of the near 100,000 men enlisted had deserted.

In all fairness, many had started their desertion before the king had died. He could not admit to anyone what this real number was though. So instead he rounded down…by about 20,000.

"It might seem to everyone here," he continued, "that this is a needle in a haystack search, but I promise you, I know that one of you is Jonas." When still no one spoke, he took another step forward and continued. "I'll keep this brief. I am looking for the enlisted men who deserted. I am offering amnesty to all enlisted men. If you were one of those drafted, you have the option of returning to service or to be released."

"There is no one here by that name," a man called out.

Kunzite smiled. He had found over the past month that asking the leader to step forth first, often yielded poor results. Asking for the weakest of the group though, that always brought the strongest man to the front. "What is your name, friend?"

"Thomas."

"I presume you are Thomas Alderns, Jonas's regiment leader. Your name is on my list as well."

"You're mistaken on all counts, general."

Kunzite held his arms out, gesturing to the men before him. "Let me simplify this further. I have a list of 1,000 men who have abandoned their post." That seemed a better number for this group than the 10,000 he normally admitted to. "I have been tasked with finding every man. You will either return to your post and serve, or I will return with your body for your family to identify. Every name will be accounted for. We will not have roving bands of mercenaries to compete with. What will it be?"

The man Thomas marched up to Kunzite, pressing his finger into the taller man's chest. Kunzite stood there and let him. Weak leaders often felt that they had to flex their muscles to get their point across. "You will not show up here and threaten these good men with an imaginary list all because you do not have enough men to support your prince."

"He is our prince."

"Maybe we have had enough of a monarchy telling us what to do."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Thomas," Kunzite said quietly. He scanned the crowd of men, noticing that none had yet moved. When Thomas turned his eyes away, Kunzite kicked his feet out from under him, placing his boot squarely over the man's throat as he lay sprawled out before him. When Thomas put his hands up in surrender, Kunzite turned his eyes back towards the other men.

One of the men in the crowd stepped forward and withdrew his sword. The blond soldier mounted behind Kunzite drew his bow and shot an arrow at the feet of that man.

"Now please, gentlemen," Kunzite continued, "let's start over. We can discuss who everyone else here is next. First though, which one of you is Jonas?"


	15. March 616

March 616

A small crowd milled below in the small courtyard, a blonde girl sitting quietly on the outskirts. She sat on the edge of the fountain, a glass clutched tightly in her fingers, though she had yet to take a drink. Kunzite didn't want to keep watching her, but he found that he couldn't stop.

He sat on the wide lip of the marble balcony three floors above the courtyard. One leg stretched out in front of him, the other with his foot resting on the ground. The overhang of the balcony cast shadows over him, making him less noticeable on this otherwise uneventful day.

Palace guards stood at the entrance to the balcony, keeping anyone from joining him. The courtiers were all over themselves today trying to catch the attention of anyone important enough to elevate their rank.

He hated simpering.

The Feast of Nights was just under a week away now. Soon the yard of the palace would be taken over by tents and vendors selling their wares. When Endymion took the throne, one of the first changes he made was to turn the solstice celebrations into something for the people. No longer was it just the adoring courtiers who were allowed within the walls, now any man who wanted to travel was invited to partake in events. Kunzite had to agree that this was a very wise decision for a prince trying to show the people he was very much the leader that his father was, but without the callousness.

The girl had looked around to make sure no one noticed her, then quickly spilled her drink into the fountain. He could not fully repress the small smile that tugged at his lips as she was approached by a servant who took her empty glass and placed a new one into her hand. He wondered how much champagne would flow through the fountain by the end of the day.

"Is she your new love interest?" Diamond asked. The man could move with a quietness that Kunzite envied.

The tall general stood with his back to the same column that Kunzite leaned against. Their heights were not the same with Kunzite sitting the way he was, but they were still fairly close. It bothered Kunzite that the other man was able to so easy follow his line of sight to look at the innocent girl.

"A courtier," Kunzite responded.

"Liar. You hate all courtiers. I've seen you watching her more than a few times."

"Endymion is down there with Nephrite. I'm watching everyone."

Diamond laughed. "You want her. Is your cock hard for her already?" Diamond reached over to grab Kunzite, his hand easily slapped away.

"She's too young."

"Serenity's cousin? She's older than Serenity. You only have a few years on her at most."

As the former guard to Serenity, of course Diamond would know everything about Serenity and her family. His near obsession had been the reason that Nephrite had replaced Diamond as part of her guard after such a short amount of time. "That's not why I wanted to see you." Kunzite looked over to Diamond. "Endymion wanted me to talk to you about Jadeite."

"He plays favorites."

"You have to figure out how to make things work between you."

"It's not my fault if he doesn't bother to show up to briefings anymore. You should speak to him about it."

"It is only the meetings you are a part of that he doesn't show for. And I have already dealt with that. It's not just Jadeite though."

"Nephrite didn't earn his position. I won't apologize for calling him the false prince."

"I can't be your only ally, Diamond. It takes too much of my time being away with you." He noticed a couple of women now stood at one of the openings to the balcony. They acted as though they were looking at the proffered view, but their whispered giggles told him that it was the two generals they watched. "You need to spend less time with the courtiers."

"Sometimes they confuse me with you."

"You need to stop that too."

"You're too serious, Kunzite. We are elevated to ranks well above any man. We work hard for Endymion doing the things that no one wants to know about. You need to find a woman to bury yourself into and forget about everything for a few minutes."

"Thanks to you, they already say that I do far too much of that."

"Then stop sending me to pretend to be you when you don't want to deal with something." He watched as Kunzite looked back out over the edge of the balcony, his eyes again falling on the blonde girl.

Kunzite remained silent for several moments, becoming unsettled that Diamond continued to watch her as well. "Figure out how to get along with Jadeite."

"Endymion is sending me away next week."

"He didn't mention anything to me."

"He wasn't going to."

"Then why are you telling me?"

"I thought that you might want to come with. Although hopefully you'll be too busy sweeping that girl off her feet. You do remember how to talk to one right?"

"Where are you going?"

"Calingstone."

"Endymion has asked me to head east in a few days. It will probably be a couple of weeks before I return."

Diamond patted Kunzite on the shoulder as he pushed away from the wall. "Till we meet again, brother."


	16. The Solstice - Kunzite: March 21, 621

Kunzite watched the events unfolding from the shadows of the trees. He hadn't noticed quickly enough that Minako had gone missing. He had been too busy being distracted by the group at the gate. When the crowd dispersed, he had been dumbfounded by her absence.

A guard grabbed his shirt, thinking him to be one of the instigators. Kunzite pushed free of the hold, stepping back as two more guards approached. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large coin, his insignia stamped on both sides.

The men around him took in the mark and the black uniform, all moving back and apologizing for their mistake. Looking over their heads, Kunzite could see the procession had finally begun. Endymion and Serenity's guard cleared a path as they made their way to the dais.

"General Zoicite left word for you," a soldier said, turning Kunzite's attention back to him.

"Zoicite did?" Kunzite repeated. Zoicite had been missing since that afternoon.

"He said that he was going after Danburite."

"Where did he go?"

The guard pointed down the length of the West wall. "I saw him go that way."

Kunzite ran down the path towards the woods, pushing people out of the way. When he got to the end of the path, he saw no sign of Zoicite or any guards. No one seemed to notice that anything was amiss.

From the corner of his eye he noticed that a dagger had been driven into a tree that led into a clearing. Kunzite took a hesitant step forward. It was Zoicite's, the dagger pressed in upwards as a sign to go forward. His eyes looked thru the treeline to see the small path that disappeared into the woods. He knew what this was.

The first thing he saw was Adonis and Zoicite on the ground throwing punches at each other. A man with red hair approached them, a sword in his hand. Kunzite took a step forward, halting when he noticed Minako out of the corner of his eye. A familiar face kneeling behind her.

"It's been a long time, Kunzite," Diamond called over, brandishing a short sword at the girl in his arms.

Kunzite approached them slowly, his eye darting over to look at Zoicite. The red haired man had his sword pressed to the side of Zoicite's neck. Zoicite had his hands held up as he moved to sit next to Adonis who had rose to one knee, rubbing his jaw.

"She has nothing to do with this," Kunzite said as he moved to stand in front of Diamond and Minako. The blonde haired girl was crumpled over in the other man's arms, her fingers clawing into the ground.

"She has everything to do with this."

Kunzite took another step closer. "We had an agreement."

"It's time for a new one."

"Give her to me first."

He could see her eyes turning upward to follow the lines of his dark uniform. When her eyes met his, they appeared glassy and unfocused. Her lips parted and a keening sound escaped as her tongue failed to form any words. "What did you do to her?" Kunzite asked, his hands shaking as he resisted reaching out for her.

"We needed to talk and I didn't want her distracting you."

"If you hurt her, I will kill you."

Minako murmured something intelligible as her body went limp.

"Just give me your sword, Kunzite, and we'll be on our way."

Kunzite glanced over at Zoicite, noticing that Adonis now held his sword to the other man. Zoicite tapped three fingers in quick succession against his knee, cursing when Adonis kicked him to make him stop.

Diamond continued. "On your knees, general."

It didn't matter to Kunzite that Zoicite tried to signal he was okay to move, he knew that this trap had been too well planned for anything to matter.

"Did you hear what she said?" Diamond asked, rising to his feet with Minako's limp form in his arms. He pressed the tip of his short sword against her abdomen. Kunzite shook his head. "That's a shame." He paused to smile. "Now drop your sword and get down on your knees, or I will kill her."

Kunzite glanced around again to see darkly dressed soldiers emerging from the shadows. He could feel the sharp edge of a sword blade pressed against his own neck now. The red haired man had moved away from Adonis and Zoicite to stand behind him while he was distracted. It had been a very long time indeed since he found himself on the losing side of a fight.

"What do you want?"

A laugh. "You've already given me everything I need."

As he took an aggressive step towards Diamond, a boot connected with his knee. He dropped to his knees, a grunt escaping his lips as he bit back against the pain that seared through his leg.

"Rubeus," Diamond said, "take her." The man with red hair sheathed his sword and scooped Minako up into his arms, turning to disappear further into the woods. Cloaked men moved around Kunzite. One took his sword and handed it to Diamond. Another pulled his hands behind his back and secured his wrists with heavy ropes. Hands ran over his uniform, feeling for weapons hidden against his body.

He closed his eyes against the sight of Minako being carried away.

"Do you think that I will hurt her?" Diamond asked.

Kunzite looked up at his captor. "Tell me what you want. This is between us."

"There is a score to settle between us that is so deep that this is only the beginning, brother."

"Don't call me that."

Diamond kneeled down and leaned close to Kunzite. "Ah, but could we choose our families as easily as they are chosen for us." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I told you that I knew everything about you. You should have killed that infant when the opportunity presented itself. Instead you turned and ran away. Now it's time to collect."

He gestured towards the men around Kunzite to lift the general and bring him to his feet.

Kunzite looked towards Zoicite and jerked his chin at him. Diamond glared over at the young soldier and noticed Zoicite's hand make a quick gesture before returning to a fist. "Enough," he sighed, rising to his feet. "The boy will not live long enough to do whatever you're trying to tell him." He turned his eyes towards the men holding Kunzite's arms. "Take him to the tree line, but wait for me before going any further. I have one last problem to clean up."

The men behind Kunzite pulled on his bound hands and pushed him forward towards the darkness of the woods. Kunzite's shoulder brushed against Diamond's as he took a heavy step in the direction Minako had been taken.

Diamond moved to stand next to Adonis who still held a sword to Zoicite's neck. He looked down at the young soldier and frowned. "So you are the fourth. My replacement," he said with disinterest. "I was surprised at how young you were getting such a promotion. I was even a little insulted that Endymion thought my worthiness was on par with that of a child's.

"You're very intelligent, Zoicite - we both know that. You unfortunately lack the experience to wield that knowledge. You followed every lead that I dropped for you and you never hesitated to ask why you found my men at every turn. I suppose for that I should thank you."

Adonis adjusted his grip on the sword, fingers wrapping tighter still around the warm metal. He looked up to notice Diamond watching him, having now fallen silent.

Diamond handed Kunzite's sword to Adonis. "Kill him," he said. "Leave his body and leave the sword. Don't make it too quick of a death though. I need him to remain alive for a little longer."

Diamond turned and walked off into the darkness of the trees, pulling his dark cloak around his body as the shadows swallowed him.

"Do you have nothing to say?"Adonis asked Zoicite. When he received further silence he pressed the blade harder against Zoicite's skin. "Do you not wish to live?"

"The longer you linger, the more likely you are to be caught," Zoicite said. "If I must die then so be it."

"Beg for your life and I will make Diamond spare you."

"Not even if I believed you would."

Adonis changed his grip on Kunzite's sword so that he held it with his elbow bent outwards, the blade perpendicular to the ground. "I think somehow I always liked you the least. At least you knew when Jadeite was mocking you."

He brought the blade down with all his strength, piercing through Zoicite's thin armor to his abdomen. Zoicite hissed through his teeth as his body constricted around the blade. Blood seeped through his uniform and spilled over his side, dripping into the cold ground.

Adonis yanked the sword free and dropped it on the ground next to Zoicite's body. He spat on the ground and turned to walk off into the shadows, following after his new master.


	17. April 616

April 616

Kunzite stood in the empty arena, his long sword clutched in both hands as he swung at an imaginary enemy, parrying each imaginary blow. Sweat trickled down his temples but he paid it no mind, blinking away any moisture that neared his eyes.

His shirt clung to his body and his muscles ached, each swing and flex of bicep making his mind cry out for his body to yield, but he would not. When his left hand became too weak, he switched to his right, and when his right could no longer continue, he would switch again.

The pain distracted him and helped dull the anger that clouded his thoughts. He had been so distracted that he didn't even notice when the other generals entered the arena to approach him.

On a low swing he finally caught sight of the men from the corner of his eye and he lowered his sword. Keeping his back to them, he took a deep breath, allowing himself a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. "What?" he asked, his eyes closing tightly, urging the chaos of his mind to quiet down and give him a moment of reprieve. Of course there would be no peace for him.

"We need to talk," Nephrite said, his voice loud and firm.

"I already know," Kunzite responded.

"What did Endymion say?"

Kunzite turned to face the two men. "It's being addressed."

"I offered my solution months ago," Nephrite growled. "Why has Diamond been allowed to continue to serve? Because he's your friend? You have some reserved loyalty towards him?"

"I have no loyalty towards anyone but Endymion and we all know that you cannot just kill one of Endymion's Generals," Kunzite sighed. "Even if you are a General yourself. The order has to come from Endymion and can't be of political reasoning. The law is written to protect us. I told you before that we needed proof for dismissal and now that I have it, I will deal with it."

"He destroyed an entire village this morning!" Nephrite yelled. "He claimed they were hiding convicts still loyal to the old crown, but these people were just poor farmers who have been nothing if not loyal to Endymion. People are homeless, their family members dead. You let this happen." His voice echoed in the vast, empty space.

They weren't wrong. He thought that he could fix the problem. If given enough time, he could temper Diamond's behavior and make the four generals whole again. He just needed time. They all needed to understand. "I have done what I could."

Nephrite closed the distance between them in one step and punched Kunzite, his fist connecting with the other man's jaw. Kunzite made no effort to block it. "You have done nothing," Nephrite growled. "You knew what he was doing and you let him get away with it."

No, Kunzite thought to himself, that was Endymion. He would never say that out loud though. His left hand rubbed against the sting of his jaw. Nephrite could have easily broken it, yet he had pulled his punch.

"You have my word that he will be dealt with," Kunzite sighed, "but you know as well as I that you cannot just strip him of his rank and expect him to walk away and accept his punishment. In the meantime, I have been working to make amends to everyone that he has wronged. It's taking a great deal of time and my own fortune, but it is being done."

Jadeite's hands closed into tight fists and Kunzite knew he was holding back against hitting him as well. Not that he didn't deserve it. Someone had to take the fall.

"He should be put to death for what he did. There is cause and there is precedent."

"There's no precedent," Kunzite answered. "Our positions in this kingdom are protected from political dissention. A king cannot dismiss us because of personal biases or for political gain." His arm ached from holding the heavy blade and he welcomed the pain as penance.

"Azurite dealt with Jasper."

"We don't know what happened to Jasper."

"Azurite killed him. There is no need to play politics." Nephrite this time.

"I will deal with Diamond," Kunzite answered, his voice firm. "You will continue your responsibilities and you will say nothing about this incident. No one will discuss this with Endymion. If anyone approaches you on rumors of what happened, you are to say the man responsible has been punished."

"Is there any punishment for you?" Jadeite asked. His words were cold. They were harsh. They were backed by anger.

That was when Kunzite feared he would lose them too.


	18. March 22, 621

Kunzite could faintly hear the sounds of someone talking to him, but he couldn't open his eyes or get his mind to focus enough to hear what was being said. Ice cold water was poured unceremoniously over his head, but it wasn't enough to bring him back to consciousness.

They walked through the darkening woods at a maddeningly slow pace. Every time he tried to walk faster, the man behind him pulled back on the bindings around his wrist. Minako walked ahead of him, draped in the same dark cloak as the other men. If not for her small stature he may not have been able to pick her form out of all the others. Diamond walked at his side, setting the pace that kept the distance between him and Minako constantly growing.

Minako stumbled and nearly fell, only remaining upright when the man at her side grabbed her arm and pulled her to stand upright. They continued to cover more ground and she stumbled yet again, the man at her side now holding her arm to keep propelling her forward.

"Let her go," Kunzite finally spoke up. He knew what risk he was taking by showing weakness to Diamond, but he couldn't continue to watch the small blonde being dragged along.

"She walks or she dies," Diamond responded.

"We both know you won't kill her. You went through great pains to ensure we were both captured. You need her to get to me."

"If you bait me, I will prove you wrong."

"Tell me what you want."

"Why bother? I already have the means to secure it."

A boot connected with Kunzite's abdomen and his body reflexively tensed against the injury, though his eyes still did not open. The moment of near consciousness dancing away from him as his mind sunk further into dark depths.

The sound of hooves and carriage wheels began to sound in the distance. They were converging upon an old forgotten road. Kunzite chastised himself for allowing himself to be blind to this path. It had once been a central route for trade that later became a path for thieves. It only made sense that they were headed in this direction. No one would be on the look out for travel back here. Not when the road was nearly overgrown and appeared that it was no longer used.

By now Minako was well ahead of him and he was losing sight of her as the sun began its final descent. When the carriage came into sight, he knew that Diamond would separate them and he would risk never seeing her again. Who knew what the man intended for her. Perhaps she was insurance for his cooperation, or perhaps she was just something for him to torture.

When the carriage stopped, a struggle ensued between Minako and Rubeus.

The hood of her cape dropped back to reveal golden locks. Kunzite could see her strike Rubeus with her hand, lashing out with nails and feet in an effort to get free. Rubeus secured a strong grip around her wrist and then jerked her arm into the air. She was forced up onto her tips of her toes as she fought to balance out the height difference between them. He spun her and brought her back up against his chest, one arm squeezing her around her ribs as the other drew a dagger from his waist and held it to her neck.

Kunzite couldn't see what happened next, nor could he hear the words Rubeus was whispering into her ear, but he couldn't watch her be hurt by this man. "Let me talk to her," Kunzite growled through his teeth, his eyes turning down as he struggled to contain his anger.

"No," came the cold response. "Whether she goes willingly or forcefully, I don't care."

"Don't fight, Minako!" Kunzite yelled, earning a reproachful glare from Diamond.

"Don't disobey me," Diamond warned, his voice ominous.

Kunzite closed his eyes against the sight of her being lifted into the carriage and tried to block out the sound of the carriage being driven away. He dropped to his knees as he felt another kick hit the back of his leg. His knee throbbed and he wasn't sure if he would be able to stand again let alone take another step.

Diamond kneeled down and leaned close to Kunzite. "When we arrive at my stronghold, you and I will talk. We'll talk about all the things that I know and you'll tell me all the things that I don't. If you speak, I let her go. If you refuse, I punish her. I've gotten to know her while you were away. She only thinks she is resilient. We both know that I can show her otherwise."

"You won't let either of us go."

"You have my word that I will let her go once you and I are done. You on the other hand, are going to be a guest of mine till your last days."

"I'll tell you nothing-"

Kunzite never finished getting the words out. A hood was dropped over his head followed by the hilt of sword, causing the world around him to go black as his body fell limp to the cold ground.


	19. May 616

May 616

Kunzite stared across the table at the man who could have been his brother. Diamond stared back with chilled nonchalance.

The empty pub had not been Kunzite's first choice for this conversation, but he was running out of time to start it. They had spent days on the road together on a mission to nowhere and conversation had become strained.

"You're a fool," Diamond spat. "You don't get to make such decisions. Whether you are Endymion's first or fourth, you do not have the power that you pretend to."

"But I do, Diamond," Kunzite's voice was low and even as he pushed out the practiced words. "Even now as we speak, everything that was yours is now the crown's. You have no title, no land, no fortune. For each day that we have been traveling, all of your assets have been stripped away. I will use everything to repay all of the grievances made in your name."

"And how will you repay your own debts?"

Kunzite paused, his fingertips tapping against the top of the table. "My crime was in trusting you and turning a blind eye to the things said about you. We were brothers and I didn't want to believe the rumors - what I once thought to be rumors anyway. I thought I could change you, Diamond. Make you into a better man worthy of the rank bestowed upon you."

"You place this on me? Endymion used me for all of his dirty work. I was his hand. I was his fury. I was his punishment."

"I know, and he was wrong for that. Things will be different now. We both know that there can be no forgiveness for what you have done. The people won't trust you. As it is, I now have to learn how to regain the kingdom's trust for all that has transpired."

"You will take the fall for Endymion?"

"I will always bear the weight of both of your actions. Who knows if I will even ever be able to restore the trust of his generals to the kingdom? I don't know that I will ever restore the trust of my remaining brothers. That will be the test of time though. What I do know is that your removal and disappearance will be the first step on this long road of reparations."

"I will not disappear."

"You will still be provided with safe harbor within our borders." Kunzite reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his personal marks to slide it across the table. "I will provide you with a piece of land and enough money to live out your life as any retired general would be given. You will not appear in public. You will not speak about this incident. You will not speak out against our Prince. For all intents and purposes, you will be dead."

"I don't want your charity. I want what is rightfully mine. You know what that man has asked me to do - you know damn well how we got to be here."

"Endymion has made mistakes. The same as any new, young leader is prone to do. The generals fall under me now. I will make sure that they act in a way that is best for the kingdom."

"You're taking his power and running the kingdom. It's a coup."

"I'm teaching him to be better leader like his father never did. He will never make those same mistakes again."

"You're a simpering idiot."

"You have two choices, Diamond. Leave with your head and I will give my word of your disposal, or object and I will leave with your head. The choice is yours."

"You think you could kill me?" Diamond laughed. "I have spent the last year at your side, Kunzite. I know how you think. I know who you are. You can barely stomach performing an execution anymore. You don't have it in you to take my life. If you really wanted me dead, we both know that you would have brought Jadeite to do it."

"Your mistakes are mine alone to atone for. I didn't say I would enjoy doing it. I only said that it would be done."

Diamond sat upright and banged his fist on the table. "Do you think that I don't know your secrets? I don't care what power you claim has been bestowed upon you, Kunzite." Diamond lifted the mark from the table and held it up between them. "Knowledge gives me power over you and if you think that you will banish me, know that I will return the favor."

"I offer myself up in sacrifice for this kingdom."

"Truer words have never been spoken." Diamond stood from the table and removed the blue cloak from his shoulders, dropping it unceremoniously to the floor. "This is not the end of us, Kunzite. I can promise you." Without further word, Diamond moved away from the table, stepping on the fallen cloak as he moved towards the door.


	20. Two Sides of the Story: March 27, 621

Kunzite felt sick standing there in the empty room in his foreign uniform. The only reason he had put on the clothes was because he could no longer stand being in his solstice uniform that was soaked with sweat and blood. There was not a mark visible on his face or on his hands, but underneath his shirt there were bruises over his ribs. His knee still throbbed terribly and it took all that he had to walk without a noticeable limp.

Still, this room was better than his windowless cell and the chains that held him to the wall. All the more reason his senses were on high alert. Diamond never did anything out of kindness.

Not for the first time that week, he chastised himself for showing any mercy on the man years ago. Although there were two sides to the story. How could he punish Diamond so severely while Endymion sat blameless? Not that his prince didn't hold himself accountable. Quite the opposite. He initially refused to let Kunzite take any of the blame at all.

He took a deep breath, hand going to his side as his muscles spasmed under the movement. All things considered, he could be in much worse shape.

His eyes looked up to the wrap around balconies of the second level. Archers stood at the ready, bows and arrows in hand, though strings not yet taut. Perhaps they knew how injured he was after-all.

From outside the room, footsteps could be heard. He tightened his posture, refusing to let anyone see how badly his injuries actually affected him. Diamond strode into the room, lips pulled into a grin, arms out wide in a welcoming gesture. "This is a good look for you, brother."

"Don't call me that," Kunzite spat. "We aren't brothers."

His smile widened. "Oh but we were and will be again."

"Tell me what you want. Let's negotiate."

Diamond chuckled, shaking his head. "I already told you that I have everything I need." He came to a stop in front of Kunzite. "Well, there is one thing that I need."

"What's the price?"

"Play a game with me and when we're done we'll talk. I'll tell you everything. I'll answer all of your questions." He paused, watching as Kunzite's eyes looked him over. "I have no weapons on me, brother. I suppose you could use my belt, but I fear my archers will find better uses for their arrows first."

"Where's Minako?"

"On her way. I thought it might be good for her to know what's happening as well."

"Did you hurt her?"

"She is very well cared for." Diamond took several steps backwards. "I want you to tell the truth when she gets here. Don't offer any variations."

"You want me to tell your truth?"

"Our truth. If you lie, I will hurt her." He gestured up towards the archers. "If you lie twice, I will hurt you in front of her. Tell the truth and I will make sure that she remains in good care and in good health. I promise you, brother, I will not make you lie."

Kunzite's jaw tightened as he looked to the archers above. They stood above the door making it impossible to leave the room without passing directly under them. Each man had a bundle of quivers strapped to their thighs allowing them easy access to their next arrow. Even if you dodged the first, it was not likely that you would avoid any of the next ten that would rain down.

"Don't fool yourself into thinking I would bring you out of your cell if I didn't think you could be controlled," Diamond said, interrupting him. "I let you blindside me once, never again."

"I should have killed you."

"We both know that you couldn't."

Rubeus and Madelyn walked into the room, Madelyn's arm looped through Rubeus's. She smiled when she saw Kunzite standing there. "Hello, handsome. Didn't I promise you that we would see each other again real soon?"

Kunzite ignored her, his eyes again going to the balcony where archers continued to stare at him. He paid no mind when Saphir took Diamond's place in front of him as the other man left the room.

"He will hurt her," Saphir said softly as he watched the red-haired cousins walk across the room.

"He won't hurt her if he wants something from me."

"That's where you are wrong. He won't kill her, but he will hurt her. This has been in the works for a very long time and he will stop at nothing."

"Why do you care now?"

"What?"

Kunzite leaned towards Saphir. "If you cared at all, you wouldn't have let things go this far. Do you think that you're on the side of right by trying to mitigate a bad situation?"

"Things would be much worse if not for me," Saphir answered. "There was only so much reason that I could make him see, but it is better this way than what he wanted to do." Saphir shook his head. "He is not afraid to use her against you. Believe him when he tells you."

Kunzite glanced down to the sword hanging from Saphir's waist. "I would use you against him if I thought he would care."

"He's too far gone on his plans to care about anything." Saphir walked away to the other side of the room.

Moments later Adonis came through the door, his eyes never meeting Kunzite's as he continued on to stand next to Saphir. When Minako came into the room with Diamond holding her, his heart stopped. She looked small next to him, her skin pale. She still wore that white dress from the solstice, although it was no longer white.

Diamond stood just behind Minako, his hand on her shoulder as she looked around the room. The archers were not visible to anyone entering the room. He considered her fortunate that she didn't have to know how eminent the threat to her was. When her eyes fell on him, he could feel his resolve breaking. There was fear. There was anger. There was hatred.

Kunzite then knew exactly what Diamond wanted.

That's why she still wore that same dirty dress while his clean uniform matched Adonis's. He wouldn't let her know that they were both prisoners.

"Kunzite is going to explain everything now," Diamond said to Minako. He crossed over to stand next to Kunzite, nodding his head before turning back to face Minako. "Where should we start, brother?"

"What is this?" she whispered.

Diamond looked over to Kunzite. "Did you fail to tell her about your brother?"

Kunzite looked at Diamond. This was his first test. It was petty. "I never had the opportunity."

"I thought your brother was dead," Minako said.

"He had two," Diamond answered for Kunzite. Clever answer, Kunzite couldn't help but to think.

"How could you do this to me?" she screamed at Kunzite, her voice echoing in the room.

Kunzite's hands moved behind his back. How cruel was fate that his last words to her would lead up to these events. "I told you I didn't want to see her," he said to Diamond. "Send her back to her room and leave her there." His hands shook as he fought against the anger roiling within himself.

Diamond waved his hand dismissively "I thought it would help you to see that she is well cared for. Besides, she deserves to know what brought her here, don't you think? I can tell her on my own, but coming from you might make things...easier. For everyone."

His eyes glanced over her head then back to her, taking in her disheveled appearance. "She doesn't look well cared for. Perhaps at the very least you could provide her with a change of clothing."

Diamond looked at Kunzite, the look in his eyes reminding him of the punishment for speaking out. "The journey here was very taxing on her as you know. A woman in her state needs plenty of rest."

"You want her to think this is my fault," Kunzite hissed under his breath as his eyes darted towards the man beside him.

"Isn't it so much easier when all the liars are in the room? I told him years ago that his lies would catch up to him one day, but my brother here never likes to listen. I have told him that telling the truth is the better way to communicate. Isn't that right?"

Kunzite gave a cold look to Diamond before answering. "You do always tell the truth."

"Have you told her yet who you really are?"

Diamond would chip away at whatever faith Minako may have still harbored for him. The revelations wouldn't come all at once. She might miss something. Rather he would draw out each and every one. "That doesn't matter either." He hated his birthright. He hated who he would have become.

"Oh I think that it does matter. Who you are is the whole reason that we are here." Diamond looked to Minako, his face in mock sympathy. "Kunzite doesn't really exist. He is someone that my brother made up to get to where he is. Kunzite was the loyal man. The honest man. A hero to the people. Ironic that it is all a lie, don't you think?"

There it was. The truth of his very being.

"What does this have to do with me?" Minako asked in a quiet voice.

"His name is really Danik. He is northern born."

"She knows that," Kunzite said. He knew what was coming next.

"Have you told her who your parents are?"

"No."

"His mother was a courtier. A truly beautiful woman." He turned his attention to Kunzite. "It's not your mother that matters though. Tell her who your father is."

Diamond waited for Kunzite to respond, his head shaking when Kunzite refused to answer. "He'll aim for her shoulder first," he hissed.

Kunzite looked over Minako's head, watching as the archer adjusted his aim."Alexander," he finally answered.

Diamond smiled. "Only a boy born a bastard could have such ambitions. If it hadn't been for the death of Prince Patrik, Danik would never have come to this kingdom and become Kunzite.

"We both know that Kunzite's only purpose was to kill the beloved boy prince. Something he could have accomplished many times over the years, but Kunzite doesn't swing a sword to fight his battles. No, he likes to take his time and make sure that his revenge is well served. Which brings us to you."

He couldn't look at her. He didn't want to see her reaction. To see the anger that he knew would be there. That was such a small part of his story.

"Let me go, Dâni!" Minako yelled. "You are no better than him!"

Kunzite's eyes darted back to Minako. He had been so captured by his own anger that he hadn't even noticed when Adonis had moved in front of her.

"Mina, please-"

'Dâni?' Kunzite thought to himself, his eyebrow arching in curiosity. Adonis was next on his list after Diamond.

"No!" She finally pushed free of Adonis, stepping backwards. He remained in front of her, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "Endymion doesn't care about me," Minako said, looking over Adonis's shoulder. "Kunzite made sure of that."

"I don't care about Endymion," Diamond responded cooly. "I do care though about helping Kunzite to finish what he started so many years ago." He turned to face the man at his side. "Remember, brother, when you looked Endymion in the eye and said you would take his life?"

Kunzite's eyes stared over Minako's head at those archers always at the ready. "Of course I do."

Minako shook her head, her hands covering her face. "None of this is true. This can't be happening. Kunzite?" she asked imploringly. "Tell me he's lying."

"I never lie, my pet."

"You," Minako exhaled, her face paling.

Diamond looked to his right. "Rubeus, take Minako back to her room. I think she will want to be alone for a while to think everything over. She'll join us for dinner."

Rubeus wrapped his fingers around Minako's arm and pulled her backwards towards the door.

"You didn't need to tell her that," Kunzite spat as she was pulled through the door and out into the hallway.

"Of course I did," Diamond said, stepping away from Kunzite. "You should sit." His hand gestured towards the edge of the dais.

"I don't want to sit."

"Stand until you collapse then," Diamond said with a dismissive wave. "Everyone clear the room."

The remaining people left as new guards entered. One held a pair of metal shackles while another forced Kunzite's hands into them. The chains were heavy and he was too exhausted to fight them. When they were done, he gave up on standing and sat on the edge of the dais step. His knee throbbed and he could barely bend it with all of the swelling.

"You're wrong that none of that was necessary," Diamond said, his eyes turned upwards to watch the archers putting down their bows. "She needs to hate you. To know that she can't trust you. Look at what I was able to do in one afternoon. Imagine what a week will yield."

"She won't trust you."

"As long as she hates you, that should suffice."

"Is Alexander helping you?" Kunzite asked, his eyes looking over the blue uniform diamond wore. "You're dressed like one of his."

"These uniforms will be the new standard for the generals. A clean break from the regime of Endymion and his ancestors."

"One where you are united with my father?"

"Your father is only a small piece. Jalen was another. I promised him two years ago that you would marry his daughter. I'm glad that I wasn't wrong."

"You couldn't have known-"

"I know everything about you, Kunzite. It was no secret that you watched her back then. There were those still loyal to me within those palace walls that told me how you continued to watch her after I was gone.

"It wasn't enough that she was beautiful - I know that you are not that shallow. I told Jalen how to shape her. She had that same quiet voice. The same confident posture. Intelligent. A woman trapped just enough by her life that you had to help her. Does she sound familiar to you? Did you think that I didn't know about her? I told you that day that I know all of your secrets and I wasn't bluffing."

"I think Alexander would have much preferred to have had you as a son instead of me. You and he are one and the same."

"Flattery changes nothing for you, Kunzite," Diamond laughed. "Are you curious as to who he is naming as his heir?"

"I won't accept the throne from him."

"Do you not listen when he tells you that you are not welcome back into his kingdom? He doesn't want you."

"Alexander doesn't trust anyone who doesn't come from the North. What did you promise him?"

"A favor. He will send me the troops I need to remove Endymion from the throne, and I will make sure that you are dealt with."

"Do you think you're going to sit on that throne next? No one would support that."

Diamond smiled. "When the people find out that you have covered for all of his mistakes, they will help me to make sure he is out."

"It's your word against his."

"No, Kunzite, it's your word against his. I can see by your face that you have doubts about your cooperation, and I expected that. Minako is the first step. The missing heir is the second. She will look lovely sitting on the throne once we find her, don't you think?"

"I thought that you would be smart enough to not believe that rumor. There was no child. Even if there was, I wouldn't know anything about it. You know that I wasn't a general when-"

"Don't lie to me!" Diamond hissed. "How many times did you have to tell yourself that lie until it became the truth? Did you believe it the first time you said it? Or did you have to tell yourself that every night as you lay in bed?"

Diamond stepped closer to Kunzite. "Do you remember General Carnelian?"

"Of course."

"He was witness to more than anyone gave him credit for. He knew of the child. Jasper's death. The King's."

"For the right price, Carnelian will remember anything you ask him to."

"The law says that the man who killed the king cannot wear the crown. Endymion was in the room. He may not have been the one that slid the blade through the king's chest, but he was obligated to have you executed all the same. He cannot take the throne."

"We both know that if you don't have someone new to place there, the kingdom will dissolve in chaos."

"Then for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of people who live within these borders, you should learn to start telling the truth very soon."

"I expected you would spend the rest of your days thanking me for allowing you to live."

Diamond chuckled. "I was never afraid of your hand, Kunzite." He knelt down so that they were eye level. "You want to know how I know that you are lying? It was about six years ago that you lost your appetite for killing. One day you were a warrior and then the next you were not. I know what it was that broke you so profoundly."

Kunzite's face remained unchanged, causing Diamond to smile as he continued. "I think that you forget who I was, brother. When you lost your post as captain of the queen's guard, I took it over. The birth was kept secret and some foolish rumor was started in case anyone found out. That was also about six years ago, wasn't it?"

Diamond rose to his full height. "You were discharged to kill that child. Probably by Endymion who wanted to secure his crown. For a while I thought that perhaps you had killed it. Then I realized that it was your inability in that moment that crippled you. So perhaps I should thank you for your weakness after all."

He turned to leave the room and then paused, turning back to face Kunzite. "There aren't many left who were there that day, but Rebecca was one of them. I sent men for her. It would be wise for you to start speaking before she gets here. Otherwise you'll be giving me two poppets to use against you instead of just this one."


	21. Salas Day 14

Jadeite and Kunzite sat at the bar of the busy inn. Large groups sat in tables too small to fit all in their party while barmaids squeezed through the standing crowds to deliver drinks. At one table a group of men and women watched as two other men arm wrestled as if their reputations were on the line. Everyone cheered them on, clanging metal beer mugs and laughing over spilled contents while exclaiming jeers.

Kunzite sat with his back with the crowd, too distracted with his own thoughts to pay attention to his surroundings. Let Jadeite watch their backs and amuse himself in the process. Each man had their own way of clearing their thoughts. Kunzite liked to work through his, while Jadeite often preferred to bury them for another day.

He felt worn out by the past two weeks. Even the cup of ale in front of him brought no satisfaction. He wondered how Jadeite could drink two cups of the flat, amber colored fluid.

Perhaps it was the casting of eyes landing on his back that kept his mind from focusing. Normally they would have dressed in some other uniform of no importance in such a public place so that they could blend in with the crowds. Although after two weeks in this small outskirt town, word had spread of the generals being in the province and the locals had learned their identities.

Kunzite was jerked from his reverie when a barmaid slid between them and took his cup, replacing it with a fresh drink. His eyes cast up to look at her face, instead catching an eyeful of her chest and a heart shaped birthmark on her shoulder. He shook his head and took a long drink of the new ale, frowning that this one had been no better than the last.

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Maybe he only needed a night's rest. His eyes looked up to a mirror that hung behind the bar and reflected the entrance. There stood a woman with dark red hair. She leaned against the doorframe smiling at him. He thought that he must be imagining this woman, but there she remained. That cold smile of hers burning into his back.

"Kunzite?"

Kunzite blinked at being elbowed by Jadeite, shaking his head and muttering an apology. He took another sip of the drink, the taste bitter.

"Are you okay?" Kunzite could hear Jadeite talking but his voice sounded far away.

"Fine," Kunzite said. His head turned to glance over his shoulder, looking at the door. He felt unsteady as he rose from his stool, but that thought was quickly lost to him. He could no longer remember why he stood. Was he going somewhere? He patted Jadeite on the shoulder, in part to steady himself, then headed out of the room.

When he reached the alcove of the doorway, there was a group of three people standing there. Waiting for him. The woman with the dark red hair lifted her hands to cup his cheeks. "Oh how I've missed you, Kunzite," she purred.

"Madelyn Beryl," he managed to choke out.

She turned her eyes over to one of the other men. "Loren, help him to my room until sunrise. Kunzite is going to need his rest."

Kunzite's eyes opened wide when he heard the sound of a door slamming shut. He sat up, instantly regretting the movement as a wave of nausea and a headache overtook his senses. "What?" he asked gruffly, rubbing his forehead.

"We were supposed to have left an hour ago, but I see you've been too busy," Jadeite spat, throwing Kunzite's uniform at him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, grabbing at the clothes as they landed on his lap. As his eyes turned down, he noticed the small feminine hand that rested on his hip, her fingers starting to move as she traced a path down his leg. He uttered an oath and threw the hand off of him as Jadeite stepped out of the room, the door again slamming in his wake. Kunzite jumped out of bed and started pulling his pants on before turning to look at the woman that had been laying next to him.

The woman sat up and brushed her red hair from her face, her piercing green eyes meeting Kunzite's.

Two women smiled down at him, one with brown hair the color of caramel and the other with wild red hair and piercing green eyes.

Kunzite's hand reached out as he whispered the one woman's name, "Esmeraude." The other woman, with flowing red hair, placed her hand on his cheek turning his eyes to face her. "Esme was always so kind at sharing," Madelyn whispered, red lips pursed seductively.

"It's been a long time, Kunzite," she purred, allowing the sheet to fall away from her nude body.

"How did you get in here?" Kunzite demanded, grabbing her arm and pulling her from the bed.

"The same way that I got you in here."

He paused. "What did you do?"

She sat down on the bed, leaning back on her palms. "I shared a wonderful reunion night with you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did."

"I didn't touch you. I wouldn't have."

"It was just a night of pent up passion. Everyone needs a release from time to time. It's a shame that your new lover clearly does not give you what you need." She sat upright. "Tell me you missed me."

"I haven't seen you in months."

"You haven't looked hard enough."

"I searched high and low for you after Esmeraude died."

She stepped from the bed and slapped Kunzite.

Kunzite grit his teeth against the surging pain. The slap itself hadn't hurt, but it agitated the throbbing headache he already had. "What do you want?"

"Vengeance. You hurt Esmeraude when you left her. She was nearly inconsolable."

"She found enough solace in the arms of Adonis. I think she was fine." He reached for her dress on the desk and threw it at her. "You've staged your petty affair. I hope you're satisfied now."

"This wasn't staged, darling," she drawled as she pulled on her shift. "The night was glorious. It's only a shame that you don't seem to remember it at all. Quite unfortunate how much you missed last night." She crossed over to Kunzite. "One day I will meet this lover of yours. When I do, I will tell her everything. She will know who you are and what you have done."

"Get out," Kunzite growled, turning his back on her as he finished dressing.

"We will see each other real soon," she purred into his ear, running her finger from one side of his shoulder to the other. Then with her dress in hand, she walked out of the room, the door closing gently behind her.

Immediately he could hear Jadeite's voice. He needed to be away from her. He needed Jadeite to not hear her lies.

He grabbed his cape and sword belt, shoving both into his saddle bag. There was little room for his traveling cloak, but he forced that to fit as well. As he opened the door he heard Jadeite growl, "If I have to take you back to the palace to have your secrets tortured off your foul tongue than I will do so."

"No, you won't," Kunzite said as he stepped out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He dropped his bag on the floor and pretended to fix the cuffs of his sleeves. He couldn't bring himself to look at her smirking lips. He also couldn't bring himself to look at Jadeite's look of disappointment. "Leave, Madelyn."

"You can't seriously mean to let her go. Do you even know who she is? She's friends with the very people that we have been chasing and you are willing to let her disappear with her secrets?"

"Enough, Jadeite."

"Where did your friends take him, witch?"

"What terrible manners," Madelyn chided.

"Uokawa is gone and the constable is dead."

Kunzite's jaw tensed as Madelyn turned to face him. She mouthed the words I will tell all of them everything. Kunzite grabbed the redhead's arm and shoved her past Jadeite. "Go," he said to her one more time, watching as she gave both generals a licentious smile as she disappeared down the hall.

"One fuck and she's free to go despite the both of us knowing that she's hiding something? Or perhaps her mouth is too tired after sucking on your cock as well? I'd be a bit more understanding if she made the whole night that worthwhile for you at least."

Kunzite picked up his bag and turned down the hall, towards the stable.

Jadeite laughed and Kunzite knew this was argument was not going to end well for either of them. There were times when Jadeite could be reasoned with and there were other times where he was beyond listening. Those times were few and far between, but when they did happen, it often ended in them coming to blows.

"You were both laying naked under a sheet in your bed with her hands on your body and you want me to believe what alternate version?"

"I didn't touch her," he repeated. In his mind he wondered, had he?

"Where were you all night?" Jadeite asked as he closed the distance between then. "Answer me damn it!"

Kunzite spun on his heel, the bag dropping from his hand as Jadeite's hand wrapped against his bicep. He threw Jadeite against the wall, his forearm pressing against the blond man's throat. "Perhaps you had too much to drink. I was in my room the whole time."

"With that whore?"

The tall general applied more pressure with his forearm, forcing Jadeite's chin upward. "This is the final word on the matter."

"Or what? You'll remove my thumbs next?"

"You'd be useless to me without thumbs to hold your sword up," Kunzite responded, his arm dropping down to his side. Snark and humor were rarely the answer, but Kunzite hoped that would be the end of it.

He knew he was wrong when Jadeite's eyes narrowed and his jaw firmed. Kunzite could already see the next events rolling out in front of him in slow motion and knew that he was powerless to stop them.

"Then perhaps you should have thought of that back before Calingstone," he hissed.

A growl escaped Kunzite's lips as his fist came up and connected with Jadeite's face, the shorter man stumbling from the impact. Kunzite stepped back and smoothed his uniform. "Pick yourself up and meet me in the stable. We leave in ten minutes." Without further word he turned down the hall towards the exit, his left hand flexing and un-flexing.


	22. The Details: April 20, 621

Diamond and Kunzite moved briskly through the halls, followed by Rubeus and several other soldiers. Kunzite resisted the urge to smile at Diamond's clear irateness. Things were not going well if he was so openly disturbed.

He hoped in part to see Minako again to see how she was doing. Diamond had been blunt about sharing the things that had been done to her. It broke Kunzite to know that she suffered because of him. If not for her being here, he would have been able to withstand anything Diamond did to him. He would have given his life to end all of this. There was no guarantee though of what would happen to Minako if Diamond still did not have what he wanted.

They walked into the dining room, Diamond pointing at the end of the table where Kunzite should sit. He obliged without a word, his knee still swollen and pained, seating himself at the far end. Soldiers gathered around Kunzite with their weapons drawn and he tensed trying to prepare himself for what would walk through the door.

When he saw it was Magne, his chest tightened. It was not likely that Alexander was here, but they were close enough to the border that he could have been. Magne sat across from Kunzite, Diamond standing at the middle of the table.

"It's good to see you, Kunzite."

Kunzite grit his teeth at the patronizing smile the other man wore. "I can't say the same is true."

Magne looked to Diamond. "Where is the girl?"

"She isn't ready. You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow. Had I known, I would have been better prepared."

"He's not taking Minako," Kunzite said to Diamond. "You said that you would release her."

Diamond crossed his arms. "I said I would let her go if you cooperated."

"You are the one who continues to believe a lie. I can't produce a child that does not exist."

"Regardless, the outcome is the same. I said that I would let her go and go she shall. King Alexander is expecting her. He promised that she will be given safe harbor in his court."

Kunzite banged his fist on the table. "He's not getting her. He has no need for her."

Magne smiled, patronizing as always, and looked at Diamond. "You didn't tell him? Does he not know at all?"

"What are you talking about?" Kunzite moved to stand but was pushed back into his seat by two of the soldiers surrounding him.

"King Alexander needs an heir," Diamond drawled, "and as it just so happens, you produced one for him. Didn't you wonder why I was so happy to hear that you married her?"

"I told you she lied."

"Was the story about the priestess on the night of the solstice a lie as well?"

"She lies with great detail."

"I'm already looking for the priestess. We'll find out who the liar is soon enough."

"Wed or not, it doesn't matter. She's not-" Kunzite's voice faltered as he took in Diamond's knowing smile. He had seen the letters from Minako's father asking if she was pregnant, but there had never been any correspondence confirming it. She had started to say something to him at the solstice before that drunken brawl had broken out. Is that what she was trying to tell him?

"I should have killed you!" Kunzite yelled as he jumped up from his chair. Four soldiers surrounding him reacted, forcing him back down. He struggled against their hands and the weight of their bodies as they subdued him.

"Alexander is going to legitimize your bastardly birth and your offspring gets to become the next king."

"Do you really think you can trust Alexander?" Kunzite asked, his voice low and menacing as he continued to struggle against the hands pinning him to his seat. "He's going to invade the moment Endymion is off the throne. Having an heir won't appease him. Magne can tell you - they already had a contingency plan for inheritance."

"But not a secured bloodline before this," Magne interrupted as he rose from his chair. "I wish that you would see reason. You let the people of this kingdom poison your mind against your home. I would speak to your father. He will learn to forgive you."

"I want no favors from you," Kunzite answered. The guards around him tensed, again placing hands on his shoulders as a silent reminder to stay seated.

"Kunzite will not be leaving these borders," Diamond said sternly. "We have discussed this. He is mine. I need him standing beside me to help ease this transition."

"He isn't going to do anything to help you. Look at him." Magne gestured across the table at Kunzite.

"I'm not done with him." His tone implied that it should have been obvious. "Leave us," Diamond said. "I'll make sure the girl is ready for you today. As a symbol of our partnership, of course."

"Alexander will withdraw his assistance to you if she does not arrive as agreed," Magne warned.

Diamond moved over to clap his hand on the ambassador's shoulder, shaking his other hand. "I have need of her for only a few more minutes and then she is all yours. It's best if you depart now though. You can't risk being found in her company. Now if you would please allow us a few moments of privacy."

Magne looked skeptically between Diamond and Kunzite before making his way from the room. When they were alone, Diamond crossed over to stand in front of Kunzite. "All men are weak, brother. Alexander pretends that he is above that, but he's just a man. I have spent time infiltrating his kingdom. There are men in his ranks, as you well know, that don't like the way he rules.

"They know that she is coming with that baby growing inside of her. When the child has secured the crown, they will kill him. If he makes a move against me before then, they will kill him sooner. The only thing that matters is that this child is officially named heir."

"So you'll throw two kingdoms into chaos?"

"I told you that the score to settle between us ran deep."

Diamond signaled for the men around Kunzite to move to a watchful ready position. Additional guards entered the room as he stepped out into the hallway.

Kunzite leaned back in his chair, his eyes closing as he replayed the conversation over and over again. All this time he thought that he had been staying ahead of everyone. As it turned out, he was being played as much as anyone else. Magne had been a distraction and nothing more.

He could faintly hear the sounds of heels clicking against the ground, disguised by the echo of solid boots closely following. His eyes remained closed even when the scent of a feminine perfume reached him.

"Leave us," came Madelyn's haughty voice. The guards behind him protested her request, responding that they had Diamond's orders to follow. Her own guards fanned around her, their gray uniforms to the blue standing with Kunzite.

He forced himself to take slow breaths. There were too many pieces and this was one more that he did not want to face. How could he have missed so much?

His eyes opened when he felt his left foot being jerked out from under him, followed by the sounds of metal clanking. A guard was securing a manacle around his ankle. He wore a helm, like the other guards, so Kunzite could not see his face.

Kunzite sat there, watching those around him. His eyes were again turned down to the guard at his feet as he felt something being shoved into his boot.

"Are you quite done?" Madelyn asked of the guard. Her arms were crossed loosely at her chest, her fingernails tapping against her forearms.

The guard tugged on the chain twice, confirming it had been secured to the heavy table. When he was done, he turned and walked back to stand behind his mistress, watching as Diamond's men left the room.

Beryl waved her hand, signaling for her own men to depart as well. She walked further into the room, removing the long, white gloves from her hands, plucking one finger at a time. She waited until the door closed before speaking again. "Diamond will release you from here once you speak."

"That's a lie."

Her lips pulled into a small smile. "He will stop treating you like a prisoner anyway. All you have to do is show that you are willing to cooperate. You could be sleeping in my bed tonight instead of a hard floor."

"An offer I will have to decline."

"I don't even know if I could count all the times I slept in your bed. Sometimes with Esme. Sometimes with just us."

"Yes, your good friend Esmeraude. You didn't seem to care when I kicked I her out of my bed and you took her place."

Madelyn smacked him, her hand brushing over the rough stubble on his jaw. "She wasn't supposed to fall in love with you. She knew that from the beginning. I begged her to move on like she was told to do, but she wouldn't listen. You let her believe that you could love her and you probably reveled in her pain."

"I don't know what game you played with her, but we both know I had nothing to do with her death."

"She died because she would have told you everything to keep you from marrying that girl."

"What do you want from me? Do you want to torture me as punishment? Should I pretend to love you and shower you with devotion? I'm sure you have a tonic for that as well."

"Are you still bitter over our reunion?" Her lips curled into a smile as though she couldn't stop herself. "Between you and I, I really did mean what I said about your generosity in bed."

"That barmaid from Salas was so afraid of you, that she came and told me everything in exchange for my protection. I unwittingly drank whatever that concoction was and then you crawled between my sheets while I was unconscious. That doesn't make us lovers, Madelyn. That makes you a whore."

"And now she's dead, so really it's just your word against mine." Her hand reached out and grabbed his groin as she said, "It still doesn't change the fact that you have to admit to your beloved little girl what you and I did."

Kunzite's hand shot out to wrap around her throat. Her eyes went wide as he rose from his seat and threw her back against the table. Fingernails dug into his hand as he leaned over her. "That girl could have the world in the palm of her hands if she only asked me to retrieve it for her. Does it bother you that you had to render me incoherent to get what you wanted?"

"You can't have her nor can you help her." Beryl stared up at him, her lips pulled into a snarl hidden underneath a saccharine smile. "What do you want, Kunzite? Will hitting me ease your pain? Perhaps you'll just strangle me right here where I lay?"

"I'm not so depraved that I would hurt a woman."

"You hurt Esme," she hissed.

"Kunzite!" Diamond barked from where he now stood in the doorway.

Kunzite leaned forward so that his face was close to hers. "No, Madelyn," he said softly. "You killed her when you let Diamond use her." His hand fell away from where it had been placed at the base of her neck and sat back into his chair. He would have gladly fought against the guards, but the odds were heavy against him and his knee and shoulder were finally starting to heal. He couldn't risk another useless injury or letting Diamond know that he was not as enfeebled as he tried to appear.

Diamond stepped further into the room, his eyes narrowing as Beryl sat up on the table. "I thought," he growled at the woman, "that I had made myself clear that you are to stay away from him."

Beryl pushed away from the table, picking up her gloves as she now leaned over Kunzite. "I will revel in every day that you are forced to swallow your pride and help Diamond to bring down Endymion's rule. Everyday you will wake knowing that it is your word that the people follow and that you have no choice but to allow him to reshape this kingdom."

"Enough, Beryl," Diamond said as he grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the door.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, turning her back on both men as she made her way out the door. As she passed into the hallway, she noticed Minako and Rubeus standing there. Her cousin held the blonde's arm tightly in his hold. "Stupid little girl," she hissed.


	23. All the Pretty Liars

Nausea nearly overtook Minako as she entered the room. All these days she had spent hating Kunzite, wishing ill on him for her misfortune. The lies he had admitted to. The unspeakable things that had been done to her.

Through it all, she kept trying to tell herself that he was not part of this. That he wouldn't have let this happen. Yet here he was. Sharing an intimate moment with that woman. His body leaned over her. Lips brushing against her ear.

She could feel the last piece of herself breaking away.

Diamond dragged her over to the table and dropped her unceremoniously into a chair to Kunzite's right side. "Let's talk, brother." He placed his hands on Minako's shoulders. She had grown so accustomed to his touches that she no longer flinched.

When Kunzite remained silent, Diamond sighed. "We'll do it your way then."

She could feel Kunzite's eyes on her. Did he notice the swelling over her left eye? Or the line of bruises that dotted her neck and continued on her wrists? She wouldn't allow herself to meet his gaze. Perhaps he really didn't care.

"I realize," Diamond drawled, "that you are always content to sacrifice yourself. To my surprise you have been willing to sacrifice her as well." His finger slid up from her hand to her forearm, pulling the sleeve of her dress up with the movement. She couldn't help but to jump at the pain when his finger pressed on the looping raised skin.

"Ask me a question that I can answer then."

"Where is the damn child?" His voice echoed in the large room. "She is the rightful heir to the throne, not Endymion the usurper."

"You're confused about your history. Besides, how can I corroborate a story that I was not there to witness? I was on the outskirts of the kingdom as all of this was happening."

"It doesn't matter where you were," Diamond hissed. "You knew enough to go looking for the infant. If there was nothing to fear from its birth, you wouldn't have tried to kill it. You are soft, brother, but I will fix you and make you whole again. You and I will ride out of here together to claim our rightful place in history."

Diamond's hands squeezed Minako's shoulders tightly. "Remember, she is only useful for this child. That doesn't make her safe."

He released her and walked out of the room, slamming the double doors in his wake.

Kunzite's hand balled into fists on the table, his eyes turned down to look at the table. "I'm sorry, Minako," he finally said. "This isn't what I wanted for you."

"You let him torture me," she whispered, lips quivering as she spoke. "Him. Rubeus."

"I would never hurt you."

"Then why do I wear these scars?" She dropped her shaking hands onto her lap. "You lied to me. Every day that we were together, you lied to me."

"How could you not tell me you were pregnant? I saw the letters from your father. I read as many as I could stomach. With each word I kept telling myself that you had nothing to do with whatever he had been planning."

"My father told me that if I was pregnant, you would have no choice but to marry me. He said that otherwise I would be just a passing fancy. Some display of loyalty to Endymion that you would play out for only so long.

"I knew that he harbored ill will towards you. I won't lie and say that I didn't." She shook her head. "Tell your brother whatever it is he wishes to know. I can't live another day like this."

"He's not my brother. I hate that he calls me that."

They both sat in silence. Kunzite wanted to reach out to her, but knew she would only flinch away from his touch. "Miko," he said softly.

"Who are you?"

"I came here ten years ago as a fourteen year old boy full of anger and lacking any wisdom. Endymion always knew who I was. The day I took up arms for him, I stopped being that boy. No one would accept the bastard born son of a foreign king acting as head general to Endymion, so I had to become someone else."

"Did you really tell Endymion you wanted to kill him?"

He sighed and leaned his head back, looking up. "Once."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

"Not really."

"Did you really try to kill an innocent child?"

"You can't listen to what Diamond says."

"Is there a child?"

"Yes, but the king and queen did not have a second child."

"Who are the parents then?"

"Linage is a dangerous thing."

Minako watched as Kunzite's eyes drifted away from her and towards the doors. His hand tightened into a fist, then he tapped two fingers against the edge of the table three times. She turned to look towards the doors. A shadow passed by the small opening that was left when the doors had slammed together too hard to properly close.

Kunzite reached for the armrest of her chair, dragging her over till she was right next to him. "Never doubt that I have loved you."

His hand reached into his boot and withdrew a short dagger that he then pressed down the front of her dress. "I can't go with you. But the first chance you get, you have to run. Don't let Alexander get his hands on you. Promise me."

"What does that mean?"

"Time is up, pet," Rubeus said as he strolled into the room, approaching the couple in only a few steps.

Minako grabbed his hand with both of hers. "Kunzite, I-"

Rubeus reached down and wrapped his arm around Minako's neck, her chin pressing against his elbow as she was lifted out of her chair. Her fingers wrapped around Rubeus's forearm and she pulled with desperation as she felt her airway becoming constricted.

"I am having a map brought here. If you tell me where she is, I won't hurt your little pet. If you won't, then I will take your bride before your very eyes. It undoubtedly won't be pleasant for you to watch, but I will be sure to enjoy myself at least." He tilted his face down to Minako's and caught her eye. "One of us should enjoy this right?"

Kunzite rose to his feet.

Minako gasped for air against the constricting hold around her throat, a metallic, ringing sound echoing in her ears. Her fingernails dug into Rubeus's arm, scraping the skin as she fought for air.

Rubeus released the hold on her throat and grabbed her hands, forcing them behind her back then pushing her face against the table. "What a wonderful indulgence this will be."

Minako gasped, gulping in deep breaths. She wanted to cry out against Rubeus's touch, but she couldn't stop her body's involuntary fight to replenish the air it had been deprived of. That didn't stop her from struggling to free her hands in a futile effort.

"Beg me to give you the map, Kunzite."

"I will flay the skin from your body."

Rubeus reached for his belt buckle and pulled the leather strap free of the belt loops. "Beg me."

Kunzite gritted his teeth. "She's in Calingstone," he grated out.

Rubeus laughed as he bent over to whisper into Minako's ear, "I guess I was wrong that he wouldn't bend for you." He released Minako, allowing her body to collapse to the floor. She pulled her arms against her chest, pain radiating from the strict hold he had kept her in.

Rubeus snapped his fingers and the guard that had been standing in the doorway now entered the room to hand a folded map to Rubeus who then crossed over to Kunzite.

Minako reached into her bodice with shaking hands, fingers withdrawing the handle of the small dagger. The tip of the blade now pressed against her chest, the dagger hidden beneath her hunched shoulders and flowing strands of hair. She took a last steadying breath, and pushed herself off the floor.

Rubeus pointed at the map on the table, his eyes remaining locked with Kunzite's. "We'll have plenty of time together later, pet," he laughed as he heard her footsteps stop behind him.

She lifted her wrist with the dagger held tightly in her hand. Another hand reached out and grabbed her. Without any thought, moving only on instinct, she swung her arm up, catching the guard in the face with the tip of the blade. He hissed as he released her, blocking himself from another swing.

It wasn't the guard that she wanted though.

Rubeus had started to turn at hearing the skirmish behind him. Before he could move to defend himself, Minako jabbed the dagger into his neck. Blood erupted from the wound, some spray landing on her dress and face.

For a moment, time stopped. Their eyes met. His pupils dilating, growing large and black. There was hatred looking back at her.

Then time sped up again as Rubeus reached wildly for the blade trying to pull it out, falling backwards to land at Kunzite's feet.

Kunzite strained to reach forward, yanking the blade free. Rubeus fell forward with the motion, and without hesitation, Kunzite drew the blade across Rubeus's neck. More blood spilled across the floor.

Guards rushed into the room. One grabbed Minako, pulling her back. Others jumped towards Kunzite, fighting to pull the blade from his hands. Diamond grabbed Minako and yanked her from the room.

She stumbled as she was pulled along. Diamond finally throwing her over his shoulder. Her eyes stayed on the soldiers fighting until they turned the corner and she could no longer see the men.

Funny, she thought, that this time she couldn't help but to notice the metallic tang of blood in the air.


	24. North by NorthWest

Hallways, doors, guards. All blurred by as Minako was carried by Diamond. She could still see the burning hatred in Rubeus's eyes. She tried to remember the details of Kunzite's eyes, but she couldn't remember having looked at him. Over and over again, the knife plunged into Rubeus's neck. Blood spurting. Dark eyes.

A woman's screeching voice broke through the loop, though Minako could not stop watching everything replay over and over in her mind.

Then she was jostled and fell to the ground, the impact of her body breaking her out of her stupor. Madelyn hit Diamond with hands and fists, screaming that her cousin was dead.

Diamond grabbed her by her wrists, fingers expertly digging into soft flesh to subdue the flailing extremities. As if in response, the bruises on Minako's own wrists flared with pain.

She started to pull herself up, noticing for the first time that they were in an entryway. The door was wide open in front of her, no one blocking the way. Behind her, Diamond yelled for Madelyn to shut up and focus. The woman's face was so red that Minako hysterically laughed to herself that it was the same shade as her namesake beryl.

Minako pulled herself up and launched herself across the small distance that separated her from the door - towards freedom. When she stumbled outside, she stopped. A carriage was waiting at the end of the walkway. Men were dressed in black palace uniforms. What was this? How were they here? Did Diamond lie about sending her north? Did Serenity and Endymion negotiate to free her?

She tried to urge her body forward, but she found she was rooted to the spot. Freedom was within her grasp - whether by escort or by running wildly into the woods. In front of the open carriage door stood Saphir and Loren, Zoicite's former second. The men appeared to be speaking amongst themselves, none noticing her appearance. How deeply had Diamond penetrated Endymion's inner circle?

"Don't let the uniforms fool you, my pet," Diamond said into her ear as his fingers fell into place around her wrist. "They are my men who are escorting you. The uniforms are only to ensure that they do not get stopped by any of Endymion's soldiers along the way."

The scene around her went to darkness as she closed her eyes. Sounds of soldiers and the screaming woman were blocked out until she could only hear her own heart beating deceptively soft in her chest. That moment of freedom had been a dream. Yet somehow, she had been foolish enough to fall for the mirage that had been laid out.

Diamond said nothing further as he pulled her down the walkway and pushed her into the carriage, Saphir stepping away to brush his shoulder against Diamond's. She could hear Diamond yelling after the other man, but the response was cut off by the sound of the door closing behind her.

Heavy curtains darkened the interior, but she could see a soldier was already seated inside waiting for her. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pushing her down onto the bench.

She looked out the door to see Kunzite standing at the top of the stairs, guards flanked around him as he watched the carriage.

Her view became obstructed as Loren entered the carriage, shutting the door behind him as he took a seat across from her.

He pulled a flask from a pocket within his uniform and held it to his lips for a second before offering it to the man at his side as he said, "Glad we don't have to stick around for this mess."

The man grunted in acknowledgement, tossing his head back and pouring the fluid into his mouth. He offered it back to Loren who waved his hand for the other soldier to finish it.

Minako stared at him, her mouth open to speak, although she couldn't think of any words to say. He stared back at her, a strange, almost friendly smile on his lips. The carriage lurched forward, the horses moving at a gallop to put distance between them and the chaos of the estate behind them. After a few minutes, the light snores of the guard filled the otherwise silent cabin.

"Diamond won't kill Kunzite if that's what you're worried about," Loren said. Her eyes looked over to him as he poked at the sleeping soldier. "Presumably you know what's coming next, right?" Loren asked.

"We're going to the court of King Alexander. My new home." A snort was her response. "What do you care?" she asked. "You're just another one of them."

Loren plucked the empty flask from the hand of the passed out man at his side and tucked it into an inner pocket of his uniform. "I'm not one of them. I'm as much of a captive as you are."

"Were I dressed so well or treated so well. I suppose I'll never know how hard of a struggle it has truly been for you."

"I was tricked into serving Diamond by that woman. Madelyn. She blackmailed me. I thought I was protecting Zoicite. I would have done anything for him."

"Zoicite is dead." She expected some reaction from her body at uttering those words, but she found that she was empty.

"And what is your excuse?" he countered. "You made more than a few mistakes yourself." When she didn't respond, he continued. "Zoicite wasn't supposed to be hurt. Diamond was going to have me take you from the palace. You would have been sent to the North while everyone was distracted.

"When that went wrong, plans changed again. Kunzite and Jadeite were supposed to be away for a couple more days. Alexander was going to force Endymion's hand to relinquish you. When Kunzite went to confront Alexander, he would have been arrested and then turned over to Diamond. No one was going to be hurt."

"Is that supposed to absolve you?"

"I wanted you to understand what happened."

"Because that will remove these scars from my arm? Take away the bruises from my skin?" She drew her knees to her chest, her body feeling revolted at the sight of the still drying blood that coated her dress. The same residue was flecked on her hands and her face, but she made no move to wipe it away.

Knowing that Rubeus was dead brought her a sense of relief. Knowing that she was being taken to a court where Diamond would not be granted trespass brought her a bigger sense of relief. Though it seemed wrong, she couldn't help but to feel calm about her travels.

The feeling was short lived as she closed her eyes to find herself staring into Rubeus'. Again and again, her fingers wrapped around the blade. Warm fluid coating her hand as the blood poured over her fingers. Straggled choking sounds that muffled the horrible words that tried to make it past his lips.

The carriage bumped as it sped up, Minako's eyes springing open, her hand bracing against the wall. Loren had the corner of the curtain pushed away as he looked outside.

"You're going to want to get down onto the floor." Loren reached for her, the fingers of his hand just barely brushing her hand as she yanked away from him.

Her lips parted and she found herself biting down on her tongue as the carriage hit another bump. Loren reached over again and grabbed her elbow, yanking her down onto the floor. She looked up to see the other guard was slumped over in his seat, white foam leaking from between his lips.

Horses whinnied and the carriage lurched to a sharp holt. The guard tumbled forward to land at an odd angle by Minako. Loren reach down and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up. As his fingers made contact with the bruises that stained her skin, she jerked her arm away and pushed against the door. She braced herself as the ground rushed up to meet her, her body hitting hard as she rolled and slid to a stop.

Spots danced in her eyes, her surroundings spinning. A man stepped in front of her, crouching down and cupping her jaw. Her eyes fluttered as they followed the length of his arm where she was met with sharp green eyes.

Then everything went dark.


	25. Sacrifice

Minako jerked awake, finding herself laying on a pallet - a makeshift bed consisting of a blanket thrown over hay - in a barn. Her eyes darted around the room, expecting to see Diamond next to her, to feel his hand around her wrist.

She flung her head over the edge of the pallet, stomach heaving though nothing came out.

A glance towards the door showed three armed men standing with their heads close together. They wore clothes that didn't mark them as soldiers, though they all had weapons hanging from their belts.

Her eyes shifted around the barn, looking for another way out. Window cutouts appeared along the top of the rafters - not that those would do her any good at all.

One of the men nodded his head in her direction and she turned away, again dry heaving against the nausea that swelled up within her.

"It's a mild concussion," one of the men said as he sat on the other side of the pallet. "I wouldn't have let you sleep, but it seemed easier if you weren't awake."

"Are you going to haunt me too now?" she asked, keeping her back turned.

"Haunt you?"

"I can't stop seeing Rubeus's eyes. I suppose after Loren's words it's only fair that I hear your voice now."

"What happened to me was my own fault, not yours."

She turned to face the man at her side. His long hair had been shorn away, leaving his blonde hair to curl close to his head. A red line cut across his check running from the top of his cheekbone almost to the corner of his mouth.

Her hand reached out to touch the cut skin, shaking fingers making contact. That was the same mark she had made on the guard who had tried to take the blade from her hand. "You're dead. You can't be here."

"Only for a little while clearly."

"Where is Diamond?" she finally dared to ask.

"I'm hoping to not find out. I have a couple dozen men with me. We put enough distance between us and his soldiers that we were able to allow the horses to rest."

She lifted her hands up in front of her to stare at the bruises on her wrists. The pain that lingered seemed to have stopped for the first time in weeks.

"Zoicite!" a man's voice called out.

Zoicite leapt to his feet, twisting to face the entryway, hand on his sword hilt at the ready, body remaining tensed as he watched his captain enter the room. "We have to go. Some scouts have been seen fast approaching."

Minako jumped to her feet. "You led them here!"

Loren looked at her with anger flaring in his eyes. Before either could speak, Zoicite took the bundle of clothing from Loren and told him to leave the room. He turned and handed off the clothes to Minako. "I need you to change into this. Tie your hair and tuck it down the back of your shirt. They'll be looking for a woman."

"You can't trust him," she insisted.

"I know what he did, Minako," Zoicite said quietly. "He confessed everything to me and to Jadeite. If it weren't for Loren, I would have never been able to get inside Diamond's stronghold."

"So you forgive him?"

He shook his head. "You should change. We don't have the distance that I hoped for after all."

Minako took the clothes and hugged them against her chest, watching as Zoicite walked to the door and closed it, his back remaining to her as his arms crossed at his chest. "I don't trust Loren."

"Please change, Minako."

She stepped from the pallet and started to undress herself, slipping free first of her meager frock, then stepping out of her chemise. Cool air surrounded her body and she rushed to pull on the borrowed clothing. She tugged at the pants, snug just under her hips. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she unsuccessfully tried to pull closed the ties on the front of the pants.

"What?" Zoicite asked at hearing her sigh.

"The pants are too small."

"Are you decent?"

"Yes."

Zoicite turned to look at Minako who was holding the waistband of the pants with tightly clenched fists. The swell of her stomach and her rounded hips kept her from being able to pull the pants up high enough that they wouldn't slip off. Zoicite cursed to himself for not thinking of this when he had asked someone to obtain the clothes. He crossed over to her and removed his own belt, looping it around her waist as she held the pants up. "I'll find you more clothes tomorrow."

Minako rolled the sleeves of her shirt so that the cuffs fell just above her wrists, her bruised dotted skin flashing into view. Her eyes turned up to see Zoicite looking at her wrists.

"You were so hard to get to and Kunzite wouldn't let me act until I could guarantee your safety."

"I owe you nothing but gratitude."

"We need to go or Loren's sacrifice will be in vain." Zoicite placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the barn.

"What do you mean his sacrifice?" Zoicite kept pushing her forward but didn't respond. When she tried to slow them, he grabbed her upper arm and forced her to move faster. "Tell me what's happening. Is it Diamond? Did he find us?"

"We have to ride, Minako."

"Tell me what's happening."

"Just get on the horse," he said through gritted teeth.

"I can't let him take me again," she said quickly, her body shivering as a chill ran down her spine.

"It won't be Diamond in that group. I don't know how many soldiers are approaching, but I do know that I can only fight off so many with what I have."

Zoicite climbed onto the horse then held out his arm to pull her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around Zoicite's waist instinctively.

"Around my chest if you could," he said as he adjusted her hands. He pulled on the reins to turn the horse around, pausing to catch the eye of his Captain.

Loren sat mounted on his horse, long sword drawn, cape pushed over his shoulders. His mare stomped the ground, shifting its weight as it prepared to be ridden forward as it had been trained. Loren lifted his chin at Zoicite, signaling for him to depart.

Zoicite clicked his tongue at his horse and nudged his heels into the horse's side urging it forward as fast as it could run.


	26. Run Run Run

The rain beat down on the tarp hanging over Minako and Zoicite's heads, leaving a rhythmic sound with each disbursement of droplets. Their horses were tethered nearby under the cover of the thick tree foliage, wool blankets thrown over their backs. The remaining handful of soldiers sat under their own tarps nearby, all perched on tall rocks and fallen logs trying to keep themselves dry.

Minako shivered against the cold and the instinctive fear of the thunder and lightning that echoed and danced across the sky. Her clothes were finally starting to dry after riding for an hour through the rain. They had searched for shelter but were unable to find anything along this path as the storm blew through. Once the first bolt of lightning lit the sky, they knew that they needed to stop and get off the roads for safety. A small fire flickered in front of her and Zoicite, barely remaining lit against the damp environment.

"Three more days," Minako said.

He had told her two days ago that they were less than a week away from the palace. They were being forced to head west and south - away from the palace - before finally heading east. The main roads had spies and even back roads were watched by soldiers. They had been forced to cut through woods to avoid the soldiers whenever possible. When not possible, they had been forced to run.

"Three more days," Zoicite echoed, his voice soft.

"Do you think Loren is ok?" She still didn't forgive him, but she feared what it might have meant if he was still alive.

"I said that I don't want to talk."

"It's been four days. Aren't you worried?"

"I have plenty enough to be worried about," he responded, rubbing his face with his hands. "I'm going to assume him dead and allow myself to be pleasantly surprised if proven wrong."

"Were you close?" Her eyes watched Zoicite as he threw a small dry branch onto the waning fire, blatantly ignoring her.

"He's someone I've known for a long time and I don't want to discuss this with you."

"I was trying to be a friend."

"Shall we discuss you then, friend? Do you want to talk about the child you carry that no one knows about? How many lies you told to get us here? Maybe you should ask me about Kunzite instead of Loren."

She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. "I didn't mean to cost everyone so much. I didn't know that there was a man like Diamond out there watching and waiting."

"He has been watching you for years."

"You knew?"

Zoicite shook his head. "I've spent the last couple of weeks listening. Diamond made a deal with your father. He knew that your paths would cross and he made sure that Kunzite was available when they did. He was going to use you to get to Kunzite. To break him. You were always going to have this child. It was just a matter of when, and if it came down to it, with who."

"What does that mean?"

"King Alexander needed a child with a strong resemblance to Kunzite. Either Kunzite could be a willing party, or someone else would." Minako blanched, turning her face away. Zoicite continued, "The doctor who examined you when Kunzite and Jadeite were in Salas was an informant to Diamond. There were other spies in the palace and word travelled easily enough from there."

"What happened to Dâni?"

Zoicite looked over at her, making a face when he realized who she was talking about. "He should be dead."

"He doesn't deserve to die."

"He deserves worse."

"Loren said he was tricked into working for Diamond, maybe Dâni was too."

"What they did to Loren," Zoicite spat, "was deceitful. Adonis was selfish. Loren played a part and paid for it. Adonis was the face and name of Diamond's rebellion. They called him Danburite."

"You're wrong," she whispered. "His name was not Adonis, it was always Danburite. He changed his name years ago when he came to the capital."

"You knew who he was and said nothing?"

"I didn't know anything about his role in this. We knew each other when we were children. I used to call him Dâni." She shook her head. "What's going to happen to him?"

"If he ever emerges, he'll be put to death. I'd be happy enough to do it myself."

"How can you kill so mercilessly?"

"I could ask you the same."

"I didn't kill Rubeus."

"Kunzite expedited his death, but trust me that the dagger you drove into him was as fatal a blow as they come."

Minako fought the urge to move away knowing that she had no where to go and no one to blame for the direction of the conversation other than herself. The feeling of the blade still weighed heavy in her hands.

"Do you think he wouldn't have done to you what he threatened? Do you believe that even after Kunzite promised to cooperate that Rubeus would just let you go? It was his favorite thing to talk about once he started drinking. What he wanted to do to Kunzite's whore."

Her cheeks reddened. "We married."

"On the solstice, I know. Kunzite told me."

She let her head fall into her hands. "I loved him."

"Then why haven't you spoken his name once?"

"Because he betrayed me!" She shook her head, leaning back against the damp tree. "He gave up everything for me in the end. He told Rubeus everything."

Zoicite looked at her with narrowed eyes. "What is everything?"

"He said that there was some child in Calingstone." Curiosity welled within her when Zoicite raised his eyebrow in response. "Who is she?"

"There is no she."

"You're lying."

Zoicite shrugged at her accusation. "Lineage is a dangerous thing."

"Kunzite said the same thing."

"I wasn't born to be a soldier," Zoicite said, changing the subject, "I was supposed to be a priest. I was born as the fifth male heir - you could say I was the fourth spare. Kunzite and I both studied at a monastery when we were younger. I wanted to be away from court life, and his family wanted him away from court life. He was quite a bit older than me, but he still took me in all the same."

"I didn't know."

"Kunzite doesn't speak of the past. He prefers to leave it behind him. Not many people know who he used to be. A bastard son of a king doesn't get very much recognition when there are true heirs to compete with."

"What if he's dead?"

"Why would he be dead?"

A tear slid down Minako's cheek and she wiped it away with an angry swipe of her hand.

"You should try to sleep," Zoicite muttered, leaning back against the tree trunk. "It's too late for us to continue on tonight even if this storm manages to pass quickly. We're going to head further south in the morning."

"I don't think I can sleep knowing that this storm is this close and we are so exposed." She jumped as the thunder rumbled loudly, almost in response to her words.

"Lean back and close your eyes. I promise you that you are far more tired than you realize."

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

Their horses tore down the path at breakneck speed, stopping for nothing and being directed by the horses' own sense of self preservation. Soldiers had found them shortly after the storm. Apparently they had not been delayed by safety concerns for their own well-being. The small group that Zoicite rode with had been forced to separate yet again, hoping to breakdown the contingent of pursing men into smaller, less organized groups that could be dealt with. Unfortunately they had yet to meet up with any of those men since.

It had been a day since they had caught sight of any soldiers, but they rode expeditiously anyway, hoping to somehow increase the distance between themselves and their pursuers.

Minako hadn't noticed the pallor of Zoicite's appearance for the entirety of their duration together. More often than not, she had shared his horse, riding behind him on his saddle, or else she would be too distracted by the other changes in his appearance to notice that anything was wrong.

Thinking back she realized that she should have noticed three days ago when they sat under their coverings waiting for the storm to pass. He had seemed off, but she attributed that to the loss of his friend days before. Now though, as she watched him struggle to remain upright on his horse, she knew that they were in trouble.

A farm loomed in the distance and offered the promise of protection if they could manage to sneak their way onto the property. From the corner of Minako's eye she could see Zoicite pulling back on his reins and slowing the horse, his body starting to slump forward. She pulled sharply against the reins of her horse, bringing it to an abrupt stop.

It felt as though everything were in slow motion as she saw Zoicite tumble from the saddle and land on the ground, his body bouncing against the hard path and instinctively recoiling into itself for protection. Any thoughts of coherency were lost as she scrambled off the horse and ran to Zoicite's side, cradling his head onto her lap. Heat radiated from his body.

"Zoicite," Minako said, her voice tinged with panic. "Open your eyes." His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, sweat forming on his brow.

There was no way that she could drag his body far enough off the road to safety. The trees were too sparsely spaced for them hide behind anyway. The farm was still too far away and she couldn't leave Zoicite laying in the road to try to raise help from the family there.

"Please open your eyes," Minako begged. Her fingers worked at the buttons at the top of his shirt, trying to open the heavy wool material to allow some of his body heat to escape. She could feel the same heat that burned from his forehead coming off his chest. "Zoicite?" she asked, leaning over him as his lips started moving.

"I'm sorry," he said, his mouth dry, words barely formed. "I should have told you they already knew. I failed you."

"You didn't fail me," Minako said, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Zoicite's shaking hand reached up and stilled hers, his hold tender. "Forgive me." His other hand reached up and brought her head closer until their lips brushed. The sensation was soft like a feather dancing over her lips. She froze and stayed in that position until he pulled away from her, his head rolling to the side and he fell unconscious into fevered dreams.

She looked at him, her lips parted, still tingling from the touch. Unshed tears burned her eyes as she leaned over his body. They had come so far. Had both gone through so much. The palace was only a day away and he couldn't hold on. It wasn't fair.

"Is your friend dead?" a loud voice called out from atop the horse that now stopped several feet away from where Minako knelt with Zoicite. She had been so absorbed in her task that she hadn't even noticed that they were no longer alone. Her body tensed. Hopefully he would mistake her for a boy.

"I am but a squire trying to help my master."

The man laughed. "I'm more likely to believe that the boy laying at your feet is the squire, my Lady. Perhaps you would start over."

Minako turned her eyes up to look at the man. If he intended them harm, there was nothing she could do to protect Zoicite. She took a deep breath. "My friend is sick. We both require sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" the man asked as he dismounted from his horse. "How do I know that you don't intend to rob me?"

Angry tears burned Minako's eyes. Nothing would ever be simple. "We mean you no harm. We're just trying to get back home to the capital." She flinched as he moved closer and kneeled by her side.

"He's not sick."

"He's burning up."

"It's an infection." He pulled at Zoicite's shirt, looking for signs of an injury. A red scar marred Zoicite's abdomen, with lines streaking outwards.

Minako reached out to touch Zoicite's shoulder, her hand shaking. How had she not noticed him guarding his right side until this moment? The man at her side wrapped his fingers around her forearm, holding her wrist out to inspect the dotted bruises that had become visible with her movement. As he turned up to look at her, he noticed the bruises on her throat as well as the fading mark on her cheek. "Did he do this to you?"

His voice had been cold before, but the threatening tone he used now sent a tremor through her.

"I will leave him here to die on the side of this road if he was the one that hurt you."

She shook her head. "I was kidnapped from the capital. He saved me. We were being followed and we've been on the run for days now." Minako pulled back on her arm, his hand immediately releasing her.

He pulled Zoicite's shirt down, covering the injury. As the material shifted, a heavy gold coin fell out of the chest pocket and onto the ground.

"Where did this come from?"

"We are under Prince Endymion's protection."

"This doesn't belong to the prince. The only man who should be in possession of this particular mark is General Jadeite himself. Impersonating a general in the prince's army is punishable by death under law." He glanced down again at Zoicite. "Although one more day and I don't think that your friend will have to worry about that."

"Please," Minako begged, "I need him. You can't let him die."

The mark was dropped into the man's pocket as he bent over to pick up Zoicite before placing him over his shoulder. Minako stood up next to him, noticing that he was larger looking than he initially appeared. Strands of his dark hair fell into his gray eyes. The shape of his nose indicated that he had been in more than one fight.

"You'll help us then?" Minako asked as she followed after him, watching as the man draped Zoicite's body over his horse's back.

"Grab the other two horses and follow after me. The ground is rough so we are better walking."

"Are we not going to the farm down the road?"

"You don't want to go there. The host is less than welcoming." The man's voice was grave as he shook his head and started leading the two horses off the path and through the tall grasses towards the line of sparse trees.

"Thank you," Minako whispered.

"You can thank me if I'm able to save the life of your friend."


	27. Sanctuary

Minako watched over Zoicite as he slept fitfully. His fever would ebb as though fading, then hours later would return with renewed fervor. He hadn't fully regained consciousness yet, remaining in bed and occasionally moaning against the pain that plagued him.

A scar cut across his abdomen, red lines running outward. She guessed that he had been trying to hide the infection from her with hopes that they would be safe before he would succumb to it. The man that had found them provided a tea that she trickled through Zoicite's parched lips that was supposed to help. At night they dressed the wound with a damp poultice to keep the area clean.

Minako had not said who she or Zoicite was and the man had not asked. For what it was worth, he had hardly offered up his name either. Mostly he left them alone for the entirety of the day. He said that he had things to do and would let them rest. Minako in part hoped that Zoicite would miraculously wake and they could sneak away before they were noticed to be missing. A darker part of Minako almost hoped that they would be caught so that she did not have to return to hiding in the woods.

The shock of everything had kept her from knowing how terrifying of an ordeal the past few days had been. Although one glance at the s-shaped scar on her forearm and she realized that there had been far worse things to be afraid of.

Sweat continued to dot Zoicite's brow, his face flushed. Minako dabbed a cool cloth over his face and neck earning nothing more than a groan and a fluttering of eyelashes. Her hand dipped the cloth back into the small bowl of water at the bedside to cool it again and then moved her hand over his stomach.

A growl came from the unconscious man as his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him. She fell from the chair to her knees, gasping against the pain of hitting the hard ground. Zoicite's eyes opened, his gaze blank and unseeing as his other hand wrapped around her neck. A short scream erupted from her before he squeezed harder cutting off her ability to make any further sound.

She scrambled to break free, her fingers pulling against the ones on her throat. Her foot kicked out and connected with the chair causing the bowl of water to fall onto the floor, the porcelain casing breaking on impact.

The door to the bedroom swung open and the dark haired man entered, swiftly crossing the distance over to them. He grabbed Zoicite's hands and yanked them away, pinning both wrists against the bed. "Are you hurt?" he asked her.

Minako pushed herself away from the bed, her feet slipping out from under her as she tried to stand. Her hands moved to cover her neck, the feel of Diamond's fingers pressing into her soft flesh still too fresh in her memories as she watched Zoicite fall back into a restless sleep.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" a gruff, but gentle voice asked.

"I'm fine. He scared me more than anything."

"He's not aware of what he's doing. His engrained instinct is to protect himself. He's a soldier, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"I've heard stories about how the more elite soldiers are often attacked in their sleep to better prepare them for an ambush."

"Neither of us are that important." Minako looked up into the gray eyes of the man kneeling before her. The sharp angles of his face made him look dangerous, but there was a softness in the way he looked at her.

"You were important enough to be kidnapped."

"I was involved in a feud between brothers."

"Where were you coming from?"

Minako kept her eyes turned away. "I don't know. At some point we passed a town called Golden Ives."

"And you're headed towards the capital?" When she didn't answer, he leaned back on his heels. "You were headed the wrong way. The capital is to the east. How did you end up so far west?"

"My friend was delirious. How far from the capital are we?"

"It depends where exactly you are looking to go. You're at least two days from the palace proper. Three if you aren't familiar with the terrain."

Her hands clenched at her sides. They were off course. So much time wasted. "Do you think his fever will break soon?"

"I think he'll be fine come morning. His body is fighting off the last of the residual infection. The sedative I gave him this morning should be wearing off soon. We'll try not sedating him this evening and see if he wakes on his own." His hand reached out to rest on her shoulder, not missing how she flinched at his touch. "Do you want to tell me who you were running from?" Minako glanced at him, watching as he pointed towards his eye, indicating the bruise around her own.

She shook her head.

"Seems only right that I should know who might come knocking at my door after I saved the life of your friend here."

"I don't even know who you are."

"I could say the same for you and your strange friend. You're clearly on the run from someone." His eyes looked over her wrinkled clothing and dirt smudged cheeks. "Tell me how he came to be in possession of that rare mark."

"I honestly had no idea he had that on him."

"I'll bring the both of you a change of clothes." He rose to his feet. "You're more than welcome to bathe as well."

"A change of clothes and a basin will be fine."

"You have my word that I won't allow any harm to come to you. If you want to tell me where you are going, I can help you to get there."

She looked up to meet his eyes and despite her engrained distrust, she found herself wanting to believe him.

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

Minako remained on the floor a few minutes longer after the stranger left before picking herself up to lay on her bed. She stared across the room to where Zoicite slept on obliviously. The slow rise and fall of his chest was hypnotic.

The thought of a bath nearly drew her from the room. Yet the thought of undressing with a stranger nearby, and Zoicite left alone defenseless, made her nervous. If he was going to harm them, he would have done so by now. He could have poisoned Zoicite instead of treating him.

As she closed her eyes, her mind wandered to the dark places that had kept her from sleeping for days. She was tired of feeling helpless and afraid but she wasn't sure how to stop. She couldn't sleep at night. Even while awake she had nightmares.

Just the thought of seeing Diamond again sent a bitter chill down her spine.

When her eyes later opened, she realized that she had managed to doze for a bit. The sun was sinking lower onto the horizon, making the shadows of the trees eerily long and humanesque.

She stood up and moved to the new water basin, noticing that the broken one had been cleaned up while she slept. A glance over her shoulder told her that Zoicite was still sleeping, so she quickly removed her clothes and changed into the fresh pair that had been left. The clothes hung on her small frame and she was thankful that the bagginess helped to conceal her growing waistline.

The door creaked ever so slightly as she stepped out into the hallway. Floorboards groaning softly under her light steps. She found the man, who still had no name, sitting at a small table in the kitchen. There were two plates of mostly eaten food next to his right arm. Three golden coins were held in his palm, his eyes closely examining each.

"Is some one else here?"

The man looked up at her, glancing around to notice the second plate on the table. "My nephew is staying with me for a few days. His parents are very ill and they were afraid for his health."

"Where is he?"

He nodded towards a closed door on the other side of the cabin. "Sleeping in my room. I told him to stay out of the way while you are here."

Minako slipped further into the room and seated herself at the table across from him. He stacked the coins on the table and leaned back to meet her gaze.

"Do you want to know who I am?"

"I know who you are."

"How?" The whispered word barely made it off her tongue.

"I once knew your cousin Serenity. It's been a few years since I've seen her, but I remember." He paused, watching her. "It's Minako, right? You disappeared with Kunzite. I trust he has resurfaced as well?"

"How do you know him?"

He slid one of the marks across the table. "I know Kunzite very well."

She looked down to see Kunzite's familiar insignia on the front. Her fingers shook as she tentatively reach out to pick it up, pulling away at the last moment. "Who are you?"

"Tell me who your friend is first."

"General Zoicite."

He leaned back in his chair and laughed. "Jadeite had me going. I actually believed him when he said that Zoicite had died. I should have known by the look in his eye that he was playing me for a fool as much as anyone else."

"You know Jadeite but you don't know Zoicite?"

He slid another one of the coins towards Minako. "No one knows Zoicite."

She picked up the coin, noticing that one side was stamped with a rose over crossed swords and the other with a two-headed dragon.

"That," he continued, "is the mark that one carries when they are being given a favor. The one your friend carried is Jadeite's own personal mark." He slid the last coin across the table. "I'm sure you can understand now why it was so curious that he had it on him."

The two-headed dragon was prominently displayed on both sides with a rose at its base. "Who are you?"

"I was once General Azurite. Now I just go by Azriel. Kunzite replaced me as head general when Endymion ascended to the throne."

"And somehow we ended up on your doorstep?"

"I don't believe in coincidence. If you were headed towards the palace, you never should have found your way to my doorstep."

"Zoicite said that we had to head south and west before we could cut east to avoid the soldiers chasing us."

"Ask Zoicite to show you a map when you're home. He was coming to me for a reason. Tell me what happened."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"I have no loyalty to either Kunzite or Diamond. And even though I served Pharius, I loved Endymion like he was my own."

Minako's fingers wrapped tightly around the edge of the table, knuckles bone white. "How do you know about Diamond?"

"I still have eyes within the ranks." Azurite stood from the table and grabbed two glasses, filling them with water and placing one in front of Minako. "What did Diamond want with Kunzite?"

"They were working together."

"Trust me, they weren't."

"They argued, but he was there willingly. He never made a move to help me. He let Diamond...he didn't care."

"I'm sure Diamond was holding you to keep Kunzite in line. You clearly must be important enough to Kunzite that Diamond took you."

"I was worth nothing to either. I was a gift for King Alexander. My carriage was supposed to take me into their capital before Zoicite rescued me."

"King Alexander has never dealt with anyone from our kingdom after his one attempt with Pharius went bad. Kunzite was the only one he ever bothered to deal with, but I would think that reason is now obvious enough to you."

"Danik." Somehow speaking that name seemed easier than the other.

"Alexander always had a tenuous relationship with all of his sons."

"It seems that rift has been healed between father and sons."

"Sons?"

"They called each other 'brother.'"

"Both of Kunzite's brothers are dead. Patrik was killed in an accident and Mikah died of some illness a couple of years after."

Minako paused, Azurite's words playing through her head. They weren't brothers?

"Minako?"

"I'm carrying his child," she murmured without thinking. One always tells the truth and the other always lies. Unless one always lies about being truthful and the other lies about being untruthful.

Azurite tapped his fingers on the table, thinking over her words. "I see," he finally said. "This is the heir he planned on naming. I suspect just on time for Endymion's coronation."

"There was going to be no coronation!" She stood up from the table. "Diamond said that Endymion had a sister. That she would sit on the throne before the summer solstice. That's what they have been working towards this whole time."

Minako pushed away from the table and walked over to the window, her eyes scanning the dark landscape through the paned glass. "I shouldn't be talking about this. I don't think I even know what I'm talking about anymore."

"Who said that Endymion had a sister?"

"Diamond. He said the king and queen had a second heir."

"A fantastical story. Fiction is almost always more interesting than fact."

"The truth is never as interesting as the lie or the ensuing cover up."

Minako turned her head sharply to see Zoicite standing in the hallway where it opened up into the kitchen. "Zoicite!" She rushed over to him, "Thank goodness you're awake! You should be lying down though."

"I heard you and Azurite talking. Give us a few minutes alone so that he and I can talk."

"But-"

"Go, Minako," he said briskly. "You've said more than enough, don't you think?"

"We needed his help."

"What's done is done."

Minako turned her eyes down, her hands clenching into fists, before stepping around Zoicite and making her way back towards the bedroom. When the door audibly clicked shut, Zoicite sat in Minako's seat.

"With all she has been through, maybe you could have been a bit kinder towards her?"

"The only thing that keeps her going is her fear and her anger. If you take those from her, she will give up and that will make my impossible job all the more difficult."

Azurite leaned back in his seat to look over the man before him. "She thought that Kunzite and Diamond were true brothers."

"I will explain everything to her but not until we're home. We have more important things to discuss though."

"We do. Such as what brought you to my doorstep. First though, tell me how you are here. Endymion says you are home recovering from a near-fatal injury. Jadeite says you are entombed in the palace catacombs. Then there is you, sitting here with Jadeite's mark, claiming to be you. Which is the bigger liar?"

"Jadeite."

"I suppose that's what I would say if I were in your position as well."

"It would have been chaos if the people heard that Endymion lost two of his generals in one night."

"And where has Endymion declared Kunzite to be?"

"No one asks. Rebecca seals all of Endymion's words with Kunzite's mark. People assume that he comes and goes. Who are any of us to disillusion them?"

"Who are we indeed," Azurite muttered.

"Are you judging Jadeite for trying to do what was best? Isn't that what you once did as well?"

"Are you going to tell me about Jasper? I think we've all heard enough versions of that. What kind of a spy master are you?"

"People think that's what I am, but I'm not." Zoicite smiled. "It's funny how pieces of history get picked up in conversation and no one ever figures out they are interrelated.

"There was the story of the king wanting another son. After he found out that Endymion was leading the rebellion against him, he became desperate. I imagine that's where the rumor was born of this heir."

"I suppose it was."

"Then there was also the story of an attempted jewel heist. Strange that this person was able to gain access to the queen's rooms but somehow failed to steal even one item and was never caught. It must have been someone close to her."

"She had a good captain."

Zoicite smiled. "You were acting as her captain at that time, weren't you? Endymion had just removed Kunzite from the position and Diamond had not yet replaced him.

"Jasper disappeared just days after the heist if I have my dates correct. Was it the end of August? It must have been since the king died only a couple of weeks later."

"What are you asking me?"

"Nothing. I just thought that was an interesting piece of lost history."

"And what would you actually know of any of that?"

"Kunzite told me what actually happened in case anything ever happened to either you or him. There is a child and I know the true lineage. She's not yours like you claimed that day. Despite all of that, Diamond is not far off from the truth."

Azurite watched Zoicite from across the table, his fingers tapping against the wood surface. "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

"Qui est, non est."

"And what does she know?" He tilted his head towards the back room.

"Nothing more than what she told you. Probably even less. Don't let her fool you into thinking she knows more than what she says. She is good at that."

"I sent for Jadeite the day you arrived. Assuming he was at the palace, he can't be more than a day or two away."

"That will make things easier I suppose." Zoicite took a sip from the glass of water Minako had left behind. "Carnelian was Diamond's source."

"Carnelian asked me not too long ago if I would go back to our old lives of service. He asked what I would do to return to our old lives. I said nothing would ever make me want to go back."

"It's a shame you were unable to continue serving. Endymion could have used your guidance."

Azurite shook his head. "Kunzite has done more for him than I would have been able." He sighed before continuing. "I will have a talk with Carnelian and deal with him." Azurite scooped up the coins from the table and stacked them in front of himself again. "You're not as I imagined."

"Shorter?" Zoicite asked with a smile.

"Quieter."

"'Those who know don't tell, and those who tell don't know.'"

"I fear that you know more than Kunzite and I combined. If someone ever understood your value..." He allowed his voice to trail off as he shook his head. "But I suppose that's why you are a man without a face."


	28. Morning Comes

Minako had awoken feeling poorly rested. Sleep had continued to elude her. Every time she rolled over, she expected to find his body next to hers. To feel a hand clasped around her wrist. At least when they were in the woods she only had to worry about seeing the next morning without being captured. Being in a strange place, sleeping in a stranger's bed, brought it all back.

She sat up in her cot, the sheets already kicked away in the night. Her eyes glanced over to Zoicite's bed, noticing that the bed was empty and made. He must have woken up some time ago.

The emptiness of the room felt like it should have been of some comfort to her. It has been a while since she had any space to herself. Despite the small size of the room, it suddenly started to feel entirely too big. She felt exposed and vulnerable. The skin on her wrist burning.

She shook off the feeling and jumped to her feet.

The kitchen was empty, although a small plate of cheese and dried fruits had been left out on the table. Her stomach grumbled at the sight of the food, forgetting that she had skipped dinner the night before. Yet at the thought of eating a stranger's food, she felt her stomach quieting. She wondered if she would ever be able to trust such a simple gesture of kindness again after what she had been through.

Voices carried in from outside and Minako paused as she tried to make out the words. The louder voice sounded like Azurite while the softer one was definitely Zoicite's. It sounded like they were arguing, but the exact words were muffled by the walls. As she contemplated moving closer to the door, the voices stopped and footsteps over dried leaves could be heard instead.

A moment later the door opened and Zoicite walked in looking bedraggled. His face was flushed, shirt untucked, the laces of his boots dangling down to his ankles. He nodded his head in her direction and continued on to the bedroom, the door closing heavily behind him.

His gait looked normal, but she could hear the off balance creaking of the floor beneath him as he walked. Despite the brave face she knew he wore for her, it was clear he was not as well as he pretended.

"Good morning." A young voice interrupted, startling Minako.

She jumped as she looked over to see the young boy standing at the table. "Good morning," she answered hesitantly. "You must be Azurite's nephew."

"Gabriel, my lady." He bent at his waist in a well practiced, if not over done, gentleman's bow, his sandy blond hair falling into his eyes.

"I hope we haven't put you out during our stay," Minako responded lightly as she looked the boy over. He was nearly as tall as her, although at her short stature that was hardly saying much.

"Uncle Az said that you were leaving today."

Minako wondered if that's what the argument she had overheard was about. "We were never planning on staying long. Just passing through."

"Uncle Az also said you were visiting from the capital. I have never been. My uncle says there is nothing there and I'm better staying away. He prefers staying away from cities."

"Where are you from?"

"Not far."

"His old are you?"

"I just turned nine. Next year my uncle says he will find me someone to squire for. I hope it is for one of the generals." His eyes widened. "You are from the capital. Have you met them?"

"I have."

"I want to be like my uncle one day and wear the rank of general."

Her stomach lurched at the thought of the young soldier she watched Diamond kill.

Stephen was his name.

"You must be very brave then."

A light blush dusted his cheeks. "I try to be. I once met-"

"That's enough, Gabriel," Azurite said as he walked through the front door. "I asked you not to bother our guests while they are here."

The young boy looked down to the ground. "I'm sorry, Uncle Az."

"Grab your breakfast and take it to my room. I'll take you out riding this afternoon." The boy looked as though he would protest, but at one glance from the retired general the fight seemed to leave him. He picked up the plate and scuffed his feet as he left the kitchen.

Azurite looked to Minako. "Are you hungry? Can I make you anything? You and your friend have barely eaten since you arrived."

"Some bread and tea would be good. Thank you."

He walked to the cabinets and pulled out a loaf of bread, cutting two pieces off and putting them on a plate as well as some cheese slices. When he was done, he walked over to the kettle on the stovetop and filled it with water before placing it over the lit burner.

"Thank you again for taking care of us."

"Of course."

"Your nephew is sweet. I can hardly imagine him becoming a soldier, but it seems to be his passion."

"I've tried to talk him out of it, but he doesn't listen. Hopefully when he sees how hard the life is, common sense will tell him to find a better calling." Azurite put the plate in front of Minako, then seated himself next to her.

"How did you end up a general?"

Azurite ran his hand through his hair. "My family has long been involved in palace affairs. It was only natural that I would ascend."

"Do you regret it?"

"I like to think that I did some good while I was there. I served the queen loyally, protected Endymion as best I was able. Pharias's reign wasn't always bad. Not in the beginning anyway."

"Did you know Rebecca?"

"Kunzite's Rebecca?"

"Yes, she was one of the queen's ladies."

"I made it a point to never get too close to the ladies that surrounded the queen. Not all of the generals followed that advice, but to each their own."

"She never speaks much of her time in the palace. I've asked her a few times what the court was like. There was a man that she fell in love with. I think he must have broken her heart."

"She obviously deserved better."

"You and I almost crossed paths once."

Azurite leaned back in his chair. "And how was that?"

"There was a party at the palace. I remember the king was asking for you, but the other generals said that you had left already."

"It probably would have made our meeting easier if we hadn't been strangers."

"Perhaps."

Azurite cleared his throat. "I won't ask what you went through. It was obviously through many hardships that you found your way here."

"I don't want to talk about it," Minako answered, her hands moving to rest on her lap under the table.

"I will confess to you, and only you, that I don't actually hate Kunzite. The way he got to where he is was wrong, but everything he has done since then has been good. Eventually he will reappear and he will explain himself to you."

"You don't know-"

"I do know, Minako. I have had my eye on him long before he even knew that I took notice of him. You don't have to agree with what he has done and you don't have to forgive him, but you won't begin to heal until you face this." He held his hand out on the table, palm facing up.

Minako looked at his hand, her own slowly rising. The shrill sound of the kettle whistling interrupted the moment and she took that opportunity to move away from the table.

Her hand shook as she poured the hot water from the kettle into the porcelain mug. "I want to tell you..." Her voice drifted off as she noticed him quickly rising from his chair to move towards the window.

The sound of her pulse drowned out everything around her. She placed the kettle back onto the stovetop, reaching for a knife that had been left on the counter. Could they really have been found?

She took a step back, the view of the outside world coming into her line of sight through the window. A pair of horses tethered out back. Both were saddled with gear strapped behind the saddles.

Two men dressed in black stepped along side of the horses and began removing the packs from their backs. "Not again," she whimpered.

Azurite quickly crossed over to her and pulled the knife from her hands. "Minako," he said.

"You don't understand," she said as she reached for the weapon again. "They stole the palace uniforms. That's how Diamond was getting around."

Azurite pushed her behind him as he looked at the window.

"It's not Diamond." He gently pulled her towards the window where they could see Jadeite standing in the middle of several soldiers, giving orders.

"Jadeite," she exhaled. "He found us." Minako pulled away from Azurite and ran towards the door. Jadeite stepped onto the porch just as the door opened, barely maintaining his balance as she threw her arms around his neck. She never thought she would be so thankful to see that familiar uniform of white and brown with midnight blue trim. "I'm so glad to see you."

Jadeite cautiously wrapped his arms around her. He didn't miss the bruises on her skin in the brief moment she stood before him, and he worried that he might hurt her as he held her.

He stepped back from her, holding her at arm's length. "Do you need a doctor? We can stop on the way if you're injured."

"I'm fine," she answered. "Zoicite almost didn't make it though. He was very sick from his infection. I was afraid that..." She shook her head, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Jadeite visibly paled. "Where is he now?"

Azurite stepped out onto the porch. "He's inside resting. He'll be fine."

"We are forever in your debt," Jadeite said with a dip of his head.

"Endymion will never owe me anything," Azurite answered. "You'll find Zoicite down the hall to your left."

Jadeite glanced at Minako one last time, then stepped away to enter the cabin. His mind raced as he moved further down the hall. When Azurite had sent his letter, Zoicite had yet to wake. Despite hearing that his friend was better, nothing short of seeing Zoicite would his mind.

As he pushed open the door to the bedroom and stepped in, shutting it behind him. "My friend," he said to Zoicite, "you live."

Zoicite swung his legs over the side of the bed, scowling at the pain in his side. "I thought that I heard your voice out there."

Jadeite crossed over to Zoicite and offered his hand. "Your condition seems better than what I imagined."

Zoicite pushed Jadeite's hand away and pulled himself to a standing position. "My lucky for both of us."

"I thought that you were better healed before you left. I would never have ask you if-"

"It's done," Zoicite retorted as he pulled his shirt on, tucking the thick material into the waist band of his pants. "Hand me my sword belt?" he asked, gesturing with a jerk of his chin towards the table at Jadeite's side.

Jadeite picked up the belt and handed it to Zoicite who wasted no time in securing it around his waist. "Where is Kunzite?"

"I don't know."

"Were you able to help him escape?"

"He refused my help."

"Thank you for what you did, Zoicite. You risked a lot."

"You have no idea what I have risked," Zoicite snapped, his eyes turning to Jadeite.

"Should I apologize for doing what had to be done?"

"It would be hollow anyway."

"Brother-"

"Don't try to sympathize or empathize with me," Zoicite said, interrupting Jadeite. "It would be patronizing at best and pity at worst. I want to go home and not step foot outside of the doors for a very long time."

Jadeite pulled Zoicite into a bear hug and thumped him on the back. "I'm willing to admit that I missed you at least a little."

Zoicite shoved him away, a grin pulling at his lips. "I can't say that I haven't enjoyed the peacefulness of not having you around."

Jadeite tugged at Zoicite's shirt, lifting the hem to look at his abdomen. "Are you sure you're okay to ride?"

"No woods, no rain, no galloping, and I'll be fine."

"If you fall off your horse midway I will leave you where you land."

"No you won't," Zoicite said, slapping away Jadeite's hand as he tucked his shirt back in.

Jadeite paused, staring at the other man in front of him.

Zoicite stared back at him. "If you start to cry I'm going tell Nephrite."

"Of course I'm not going to cry," Jadeite huffed indignantly. "I was just thinking that with your hair that short you look like a slightly less handsome version of me."

"I'm telling Nephrite you cried."

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

Minako looked out over the soldiers milling around the front of the property. There didn't seem to be as many as she initially had thought, although through the line of trees, she could make out the shapes of several more along the roadside.

Her attention was pulled back to her surroundings when Azurite cleared his throat. "You must be happy to finally be going home."

"I thought I would be," she answered slowly.

"But you don't want to go back there."

She shook her head. "It's all going to be different."

"You're different."

"You didn't even know me before."

"I've seen that look in your eyes. I don't need to know to understand." He moved closer to her. "I won't lie and promise that things will be okay. They will probably never be the same."

"I don't know what to say to Serenity when I see her."

"Tell her you missed her."

Minako laughed. "Is that the best advice you have to offer?"

"I gave you all the advice you will need last night."

Heal and forgive he had said. How could she even begin to know how to do that?

"Jadeite was right," she said, changing the subject, "I will always be in debt to you for your kindness."

Azurite offered her a crooked smile. "It's engrained into my nature."

Minako reached out to take the hand of the former general. His skin was calloused and warm. Despite the rough texture, there was a comfort in his touch. "Thank you," she whispered.

Before Azurite could come up with a response, they were interrupted by the sound of Jadeite clearing his throat.

"Are you ready to go, Minako?"

She let Azurite's hand fall away. "Yes," she answered with a nod.

Jadeite approached them with Zoicite following close behind. Minako could see the exhaustion plainly on Zoicite's face, but beneath that she could see his determination as well.

"Then we depart now," Jadeite said, putting his hand on Minako's shoulder.

Azurite turned to face the general. "I believe these belong to you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two marks, tossing them to Jadeite - the one that had been his own and the one Zoicite had carried. The one from Kunzite remained out of sight.

Jadeite tossed one back to him. "Some debts can never be repaid."

"I am forever in your debt," Zoicite agreed, bowing his head in thanks.

"General," Azurite replied, bowing his head in return.

"If you both wouldn't mind," Jadeite said, "I need a moment to speak with Azurite." He waited until the couple had moved far enough away towards their horses before speaking again. "Diamond made an attempt to take Rebecca. A couple attempts in fact.

"I had her stay at the palace for a week, then she insisted on returning to Kunzite's. Several of my men stayed with her when I could not."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Not even the least bit shaken. She seems to only care about Kunzite's wellbeing. A few times I asked her why Diamond was so desperate for her - why he would need her so badly. Each time she said that Diamond knew they were confidants and that it could be anything."

"Kunzite and Diamond were always close. There was very little they didn't know about each other."

"If it were that simple, taking Minako would have been enough."

"What are you asking me?"

"I can't help but to have this feeling that you and Rebecca both share some secret knowledge. Telling her about my conversation with you was the only thing that got a reaction from her."

"We knew each other years ago. I'm sure she was surprised to hear my name. I imagine I'm not often spoken about."

"Your name has been used in vain a time or two over the years."

"I imagine it has."

Jadeite cleared his throat. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Minako and Zoicite, but I did encounter some of the soldiers that were pursuing them in the area. You are more than welcome to come with us if you want to wait this ordeal out."

"I won't be here."

"Where will you be?"

"Always remember, Jadiete," Azurite said, "precedent is everything. Please give my regards to Endymion."


	29. Long Way Home

Jadeite allowed them several small breaks as they rode, delaying their ride even further by stopping at an inn overnight. The soldiers that constantly surrounded Minako made her feel safe for the first time since the day of the solstice.

Jadeite and Zoicite walked into the inn together, leaving Minako with the soldiers. She could see them talking, but could not hear the low spoken words shared between them.

They emerged a few minutes later to retrieve Minako. She was introduced to the innkeeper as Zoicite's wife - although Jadeite didn't call Zoicite by his name and he didn't call Minako by hers either.

She soon understood Jadeite's reasoning when she and Zoicite were shown to the same room.

"I would have been fine in a room of my own."

Zoicite dropped down into a chair and pulled off his boots. "Then we'll tell people that I'm afraid of the dark."

"Is sarcasm your answer for everything?"

He shrugged with indifference as he looked around the room. "They are going to bring up some hot water for you."

"I just want to sleep."

"You smell like you haven't bathed in a week."

"That's probably you smelling yourself."

"We should talk about what happened."

There was a knock at the door and before either could answer, the inn-keepers wife stepped into the room. "We brought up some hot water for you."

Eight men carried in large buckets, steam rolling off the tops. As each man emptied his bucket into the metal tub they left, until the last man was done. The inn-keeper's wife asked if they needed anything else to which Zoicite again waved her away.

"I want to talk-"

Minako turned away, quickly retorting before he could finish his sentence. "I know what happened. I lived it."

"You only heard what Diamond wanted you to hear."

"I don't care."

Zoicite moved closer to her. "Is this it then? You will roll over and die without a word?"

"Why did Jadeite insist on stopping? I hate that-"

"Don't change the subject," he snapped. "So much was risked for you."

She spun back to face him. "Do you think I don't know? I didn't ask for this. For any of this! This is Kunzite's fault and somehow I'm expected to be appreciative? Find him. Demand his gratitude."

"I don't want your gratitude." He closed the distance between them and grabbed her wrist, holding it up between them. "I want you to stop being a victim."

Minako made a keening noise, her eyes going wide as she stared at the contact.

"Pull free," Zoicite said. He watched as she shook her head uselessly. "That feeling in your gut. The one that makes you want to fight. Grab onto it."

"I killed Rubeus..."

"You pushed that knife into his throat. You took his life. It was you or him and if you now choose to give up and lay down until your last breath, it might as well have been you. At least then the person I saved would have been worth saving."

Her lips parted and a deep sound of pain and anger escaped from her. She screamed until all of the air was exhausted from her lungs.

Jadeite burst in through the door without knocking. His eyes looking around the room as he started to pull his sword from its scabbard. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Minako looked from Jadeite's panicked stare to Zoicite's crooked smile and she laughed. Tears came to her eyes as she doubled over. It seemed like the completely wrong response but she couldn't stop herself. Then Zoicite started to laugh too and she found herself laughing harder still.

"Funny," Jadeite muttered.

"We're fine," Zoicite said as he tried to compose himself.

"Then what was the screaming? I knocked the poor inn-keeper's wife over running up the stairs."

Minako unwrapped Zoicite's hand from her wrist, letting his hand fall away. "We're fine," she answered. "Everything is fine."

Jadeite pulled his hand away from his sword as he watched her disappear into the washroom. "What happened?"

"We were talking."

"Clearly," he said sarcastically. Zoicite shrugged at him. "Do you want to use my room to wash up? I can stay here until you're done."

Zoicite glanced towards the washroom. After several seconds, he went to retrieve his boots and took Jadeite's proffered key as he walked out the door.

Jadeite sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he went to stand by the window. He had heard the scream and for a panicked moment thought that Minako was being taken again. There was so much pain in the sound that it echoed through him. He felt chilled beneath his heavy uniform.

It would be a hard ride tomorrow as they pushed to finish the remaining trip. After settling monies with the inn-keeper, he sent one of his messengers to ride ahead and deliver a message to Endymion that he had Minako and they were headed towards the summer palace. He made no mention of Zoicite as that would require a much larger explanation than the amount of ink currently at his disposal.

The door to the room opened and Zoicite stepped through. His hair was still damp and water trickled down the sides of his face. Jadeite frowned when he noticed Zoicite had changed into his spare uniform shirt.

"I was going to wear that in the morning."

"It was laid out so nicely that I assumed you intended it for me."

"Liar. It doesn't even fit you."

Zoicite shrugged. "It's not my fault you can stand to lose some weight."

"Ass," Jadeite muttered.

Minako stepped into the room wearing the same clothes she had entered with. Her wet hair had been pulled back into a braid and knotted at the base of her neck.

"I'd like to go to sleep now," she said.

"I'll have guards posted at your door and around the outside of the inn. I have no reason to believe that we're being followed, but obviously we want to keep taking full precautions."

When she didn't answer, Jadeite cleared his throat. "Good night then."

Zoicite pulled a chair up alongside the bed, throwing his feet up on the end of the mattress. "I only wanted to-"

"I just want to sleep." She laid down on the bed and pulled the covers over herself, not bothering to dim the lights.

Sleep eluded her for most of the night.

Judging by Zoicite's breathing, he wasn't sleeping either.

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

When the sun started to appear over the horizon, Minako woke to find the chair that Zoicite had been sitting in was moved into a corner and the blanket was neatly folded. She looked around to see him standing by the window looking out. It was strange to see him dressed in the crisp white shirt. In her mind, she could imagine the blue cape that would be secured to the epaulets.

"Jadeite already came by," he said. "He's waiting on you to eat breakfast and then we'll depart."

"I'd rather not delay."

"We have at least three hours ahead of us. Hungry or not you should eat."

"I know."

Zoicite stood at the side of the bed, gently taking her elbow to pull her to her feet. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine."

"No, I mean..." He hesitated, eyes darting to her stomach. "We haven't had much time to rest and I know our route was grueling. Are you still...?"

She nodded her head. "I felt movement for the first time a couple of days ago."

"You did?"

She laughed. "It was right after you tried to strangle me. I'm pretty sure this child already doesn't like you."

Zoicite made a face, his hand awkwardly hanging in front of him as though he would touch her. As quickly as the moment happened, it was over. He lifted Minako's cloak from where it hung over his arm and wrapped it around her.

After breakfast, they mounted their horses and set out for the final stretch of their journey. When they reached the peak of the hilltop, it wasn't the tall turrets of the palace they saw, but rather the pale colored walls of the summer palace.

Jadeite, who had been riding nearby, pulled his horse alongside of Minako's. "It seemed more prudent to avoid returning to the palace where there would be large crowds. We have the matter of bringing Zoicite back to life. Among other things…"

"Will we be safe here?"

"Of course. We have a full guard that watches the grounds year round."

"How do you know you can trust them?"

"Endymion and Nephrite should be here within the hour," Jadeite said, casually changing the subject. "We will need to talk about what happened."

"You can talk to her tomorrow," Zoicite said over his shoulder from where he rode in front of them.

"Zoicite-"

"Jadeite," he interrupted, mimicking Jadeite's voice. Zoicite slowed his horse and fell back to ride next to Jadeite.

Minako watched as they shared a look between them. Neither man had really spoken to each other over the past couple of days, but she had come to notice that they more often than not spoke with looks and gestures instead of words.

As they approached the summer palace, a single horn blared signaling the gates to open. Soldiers were at the ready within the courtyard. The three riders approached the front walkway of the palace, slowing their horses so that they could dismount.

It was strange to see the empty courtyard. Only soldiers, groomsmen, and a few servants were visible. There was an almost eerie feeling to the empty space.

A horn sounded as the gates began to open again, and Minako could hear Jadeite utter a curse under his breath. As the gates parted, they could see palace guards riding in first. Behind those men rode Endymion and Nephrite.

"Are you ready?" Zoicite asked. Minako turned her head to look at him, noticing that he was speaking to Jadeite.

"No," he grumbled.

"What's wrong?" Minako asked.

"Endymion doesn't know Zoicite is alive."

Before she could process his words, Endymion was standing in front of her and wrapping his arms around her. He kept repeating over and over that he was glad she was okay and that he was sorry for what had happened.

When he released her to look at Jadeite, she noticed that Nephrite had remained a step back and was staring at them with a mixture of shock and anger. She had been so distracted by him that she nearly missed when Endymion hit Zoicite.

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

Endymion could feel the blood rushing through his veins. It pounded in his head with the deep rumbles of drums beating.

Jadeite had lied about Zoicite's death.

Zoicite had lied about being dead.

He couldn't even remember what he said to Jadeite at that point. Words, words, and more words came pouring out of him.

Then when Zoicite's eyes had met his own, it was finally too much. Later he would probably feel remorse for hitting him. Right now though, he wasn't sure he could imagine how.

He looked towards Nephrite. "I want the two of you-" he paused and glanced towards Zoicite then quickly looked away again, "the three of you in the west ante room. Have Minako wait in the east."

Endymion's jaw clenched as his fingers flexed. The three generals watched him, waiting to see his next action. With a shake of his head, he turned and walked away without another word.

Nephrite turned to Zoicite. "If he hadn't hit you, I would have done it instead. Consider yourself lucky."

Jadeite turned to Zoicite as Nephrite followed after their prince. "Endymion has obviously been under quite a bit of pressure."

"You don't say," Zoicite muttered.

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

Endymion paced the length of the ante room, his hands alternately running through his hair and then down his face. Nephrite stood by the door with his arms crossed at his chest, while Jadeite and Zoicite each stood on either side of the large fireplace.

The dark haired prince muttered to himself as he paused to look up at the men around him, his eyes settling on Jadeite. "You said Zoicite was dead. That he was moved to the catacombs," he growled, voice low.

"Endymion-" Zoicite started to respond.

"Don't speak!" Endymion ordered, the hurt and anger audible in his voice. "You are dead and dead men don't speak. I want the responsible one to speak." He cast a glance at Nephrite who shook his head, then looked to Jadeite who straightened his posture in response.

"Zoicite is mine. I did what needed to be done."

"You all are mine."

"With all due respect, Endymion, that's not what you said to us when it was Kunzite."

The prince's hands balled into fists. "I gave Kunzite the authority. The person. Not the position."

"Then you should have clarified that."

"You're being a shit, Jadeite," Nephrite said from across the room. "This isn't hard. Step one," he counted off with his pointer finger, "apologize. Step two," he counted off with his middle finger, "apologize. Step three," he held up his ring finger, "apologize."

Endymion spun to face Nephrite. "Did you know anything about this at all? Or did Jadeite act alone?"

"He lied to my face too."

Jadeite pushed himself off the fireplace mantle. "Diamond expected nothing from us and because of that, Zoicite was able to get into his stronghold."

"You should have told me!" Endymion exclaimed.

"This wasn't easy for me either. Every night I worried that I had actually killed him."

"Jadeite cried when he saw me," Zoicite said.

"I did not," Jadeite snapped. "Now who's being a shit?"

Endymion looked to Zoicite. "You don't speak yet." He ran his fingers through his hair and dropped down into one of the chairs. "Where is Kunzite?"

"He never caught up with them apparently," Jadeite answered.

Endymion looked to Zoicite. "So is he dead or alive? And by dead I don't mean Jadeite's version."

"He was-"

"Yes or no?"

"I don't know."

"What about Diamond?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know anything? Were you not there?"

"I tried to get Kunzite out three times. Each time he refused to let me do anything if I couldn't guarantee Minako was safe too."

Endymion stared at Zoicite, minutes passing before he spoke again. "How eminent is the next threat?"

"There is nothing that we can do without knowing where Kunzite is. As long as Diamond can't get his hands on Minako again, he's mostly neutralized."

"Why does he want her so badly?"

"Probably to get to Serenity. You know how infatuated with her he was."

Endymion made a sour face. "Take Minako back to her room and stay with her. I would make it Jadeite's problem but he is going to have far more pressing issues to deal with first." He turned his eyes to Jadeite. "Sit," he commanded.

Jadeite moved to the chair across from Endymion, the moment reminiscent of when he had returned from Salas.

"You can go, Zoicite" Endymion said. "I want Nephrite to stay for this." He waited until Zoicite was gone, then turned his full attention to Jadeite. "Make a convincing argument of your actions."

"A principio oriri omnia." That everything starts from a beginning. "Sometimes what is wrong is what's right."

"You think the end justifies the means? That we had not suffered enough hurt and betrayal without what you did?"

"I did not betray you."

"You are all like brothers to me. I mourned for his loss and the whole time you said nothing. Did you think you couldn't trust me?"

"Do you think you can't trust us?" Jadeite countered. "That somehow Kunzite is the only one that can bear the kingdom's secrets? How do we protect you when we can be so easily blindsided?"

"Nothing could have prepared us for this. I didn't know Diamond lived. Kunzite told me the same thing he told you."

"Then why aren't you angrier at him?" Jadeite yelled.

"Jadeite-" Nephrite started to interrupt before he himself was interrupted by a gesture from Endymion.

"Fortunately it's not my placement that is being called into question."

"I did what needed to be done. I got Minako back. Kunzite has some culpability in all of this. If this was petty revenge then Diamond would have just killed him."

"I don't care about what Kunzite did. Right now the only thing I care about is what you have done."

"Diamond went through great effort to take Kunzite and Minako. He somehow got King Alexander to treat with him. Zoicite said that there were two small armies at Diamond's stronghold and they did not give up easily trying to catch them as they escaped. Whatever it is that Kunzite did, or that Kunzite knows, is still out there."

Endymion tapped his fingers against the table top, his eyes looking towards the fireplace. "Nephrite will replace you as lead general."

Jadeite pushed away from his seat. "You're punishing me because you can't punish Kunzite."

"I'm punishing you because I can't take a chance on what wild whim you will act upon next time. It was reckless and you hurt many people doing it."

"If Zoicite hadn't gotten there when he did, Minako would be gone from your reach. We both know that he was the best one for this mission."

"I can't give you my forgiveness."

"Look at me, Endymion," Jadeite demanded when the prince's eyes remained fixed on the fireplace.

"Go, Jadeite," Endymion said, shaking his head.

Jadeite kicked the chair angrily before leaving the room, the door slamming behind him.

Nephrite moved to take Jadeite's abandoned seat. "I'm at least as angry as you, but I do understand why he did what he did."

"You think he should go unpunished?"

"No, but there are other means."

"I don't think I will ever forgive him."

"Then get rid of him."

"Don't challenge me, Nephrite. Not today."

"The kingdom is what matters most. What's best for everyone will always hurt someone. As angry as I am, perhaps there was some wisdom to Jadeite's actions."

~~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~ oOo ~ o ~~

Zoicite walked into the east ante room to find Minako pacing the room.

"Does he want to speak with me?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Tomorrow. He's too angry at Jadeite to talk about anything else today."

"Does Endymion know about me?"

"Not yet. At best you could probably wait a couple more weeks to tell him, but that would only make things worse for you. I don't mind pretending to not know, but Jadeite knows and he is in too much trouble as it is to lie for you."

"And Nephrite?"

"He's very loyal to Endymion and Kunzite. He won't do you any favors at either of their expense." He pulled her cloak closer around her, securing the top three buttons she had undone.

She placed her hands over his. "Do you think he will be angry with me for not telling anyone? I've seen him angry once before and I would rather not have that directed at me again."

Zoicite pulled his hands free. "Jadeite probably didn't want to face his anger either after this whole mess, yet there he is."

The halls consisted of a light scattering of servants in addition to the guards that followed them towards the residential wing.

Minako nearly breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the room and closed the door behind them. She didn't know whose room she was in. It could have been Zoicite's or it could have been reserved for a guest. Nothing in the ornate room gave her any feeling of having an owner.

"Are you sure that no one can get in here?" she asked.

"Not a single possibility of it."

"How can you be so sure? There are servant entrances all over the other palace. This one probably does too."

"So there are."

"Every one of them can't possibly be secured."

"Endymion is probably going to make Jadeite stand out in the hallway all night. We'll be safe."

"Who does this room belong to?"

"This is the queen's old suite. Serenity uses it from time to time. I'm sure that there are clothes that she keeps here that you can change into," Zoicite said as he looked around the room.

Minako started to make her way towards the back bedroom, stopping to turn and look at Zoicite. "Are you leaving?" She hated the meekness of her voice.

He stared at her. "There is no where else I'd rather be."

"You're being snarky."

"Am I?"

"Are you?" she retorted.

Zoicite laughed as he walked past her towards one of the many back rooms, patting her on the back as went.


End file.
